Fully Engaged
by Radiorox
Summary: Sequel to “Something For The Pain.” (Read that first.) Harm and Mac set out to locate the stolen Aurora's (COMPLETE)
1. The Slightly Hurt and The Badly Injured

Well, due to this weekends news, I decided to start posting early. Getting lost in fanfics are fun!

So here we go, not sure when part 2 is going up, but, at least this part does'nt end with a cliffhanger. ;) BTW – SFTP has 15 chapters, I know sometimes ffnet does some screwy things, so make sure you read that one first.

Enjoy!

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, and anyone else I missed for the Feedback on SFTP, you rock:)

Title: Fully Engaged  
Author: Jackie  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: Sequel to "Something For The Pain." (Read that first.) Trying to clear his name and get to the bottom of things, Harm, with the help of Mac, head out to locate the stolen Aurora's. But, their enemies are still at large. Who will succeed in this battle of good vs. evil?

PART 1 – The Slightly Hurt and The Badly Injured  
July 17, 2005  
0215 Zulu  
Bethesda Naval Hospital ICU  
Bethesda, Maryland

The beeping of the equipment in the hospital room was enough to drive anyone insane. Doctors and nurses were keeping a round-the-clock eye on the man that was barely alive and likely not to make it through the evening if he didn't stabilize. The man who was with him, stood outside peering in through a glass window, he too had injuries – merely scrapes and bruises, but the other. . .things didn't look so good. It was a difficult trip to Bethesda and while the most injured of the two swore the bullet wound wasn't that difficult to bare, inside he was dying, knowing that his hours were slowly winding down to nothing. And it all was supposed to be, for once, an easy mission. . .

July 17, 2005

1530 Zulu

Somewhere In The Appalachian Mountains  
Virginia

Alex grabbed Harm, placing a hard punch on his abdomen, winding Harm who wasn't prepared for too much physical exertion, it had been miracle that he made the hike. He'd managed to, somehow, take hold of Alex's gun. "Don't. . .make this . . . harder on. . .yourself, Rabb!" The agent said between groans. The gun was moving towards his body though he was fighting to keep it away. "You're. . .weak." He said, noting Harm's strength was diminishing.

As Webb made to turn around and help Harm, a shot rang out and then two others. Both men had stilled and a pool of blood started to cover the rocks bellow. Harm glanced downwards noting that one shot had hit Alex in the gut. As he pushed the dead weight off of him, he slowly came up to his knees. Harm's eyes glanced around the area and that was when he saw Webb. Unfortunately, the first shot, one that Alex had gotten of, sailed through the air, hitting Clayton Webb in the chest. "Webb!" Harm hurried to his side, examining the injury. It had hit Webb a good three inches away from his right shoulder. The bullet had made it clean through, leaving an ugly hole that was bleeding profusely. "Clay? Talk to me."

The pain was worse than any torture Sadik could have done on him. It felt as if his arm had been severed, though he knew differently. "I'm fine, Rabb. . .Let's get out of here."

Harm nodded and somehow managed to lift the agent up, carrying him fireman style. He'd only needed to walk about twenty yards before they found one of the vehicles the agents had used to get into the area. "Hang on, Clay. . .Just hang on." Half hour into the drive, Webb passed out.

July 17, 2005  
0230 Zulu  
Bethesda Naval Hospital ICU  
Bethesda, Maryland

General Creswell followed Mac through the corridors of Bethesda. "Colonel, will you tell me what in the hell is going on?"

"You won't believe me, unless I show you, sir." She said and swiftly wound up heading towards the ICU. The whole day had been pure hell for her. She'd known the exact moment something had happened because she felt this dread and knew that Harm was in danger. So wound up she was that the General had sent her home, which only made her feel desperate. She had no one to call, no one to check in with. Incommunicado took on a whole different meaning. When she'd gotten word from Bethesda of the situation, she knew that she could no longer do things alone, so she called the General for back up.

The General followed her through the halls and towards the ICU. She was heading towards the nurses station, when a figure in the waiting room caught her eye. She rushed to him. "You know, sailor, I am NEVER letting you out of my sights again." Thought the hospital had sworn that Harm wasn't the one that was shot, she needed to see him to be sure.

Upon hearing her voice, his face lit up, until he noticed the General. Harm stood up, coming to attention. "Sir."

Creswell looked as if he'd seen a ghost. "You were right." He said to Mac, then turned to Harm, gawking in bewilderment. "Sweet Jesus, you're alive."

Mac couldn't help the smirk, she'd been right all along.. "The Commander has been back since the third of July, sir. . .There's a lot you need to know."

It surprised all three of them when Creswell took Harm in a 'manly' hug and patted him on the back. "Son, I don't know how you did that but. . .Christ it's good to have you back."

"Good to be back, sir." He glanced at Mac and gave her a soft smile, wanting so much to take her in his arms, but found it inappropriate with the General in front of them. "Have time for a story, General?"

The General pointed to the chairs behind them and nodded. "Fill me in."

July 18, 2005  
1212 Zulu  
JAG Headquarters  
Falls Church, Virginia

Bud and Sturgis nearly arrived at Headquarters in tandem. They'd been called in by the General for an urgent meeting, something that they were not to miss. "Morning, Commander." Bud said, as he walked into the elevator.

Sturgis handed Bud a cup of coffee that he'd brought for the Lt. Commander and shook his head. "Know what's so important at 0700 on a Sunday?"

"I was hoping you'd know more than I, sir." They exited the elevators and proceeded to head in through the double glass doors then towards the General's office. He knocked on the door frame. "Reporting as ord. . ." Instantly he froze as, from the corner of his eye he noticed the one person that had been missing from the office in the past seven months. "Commander Turner, I think I've lost my mind."

"Why's that Comman. . ." Glancing to the side, Sturgis felt a sudden wave of vertigo as he stared in disbelief. "Bud, are you seeing what I am seeing?"

Harm stood from one of the leather chairs and walked over to his friends. "Good to see both of you." They all hugged, ignoring protocol or any military formalities. They were out of uniform anyway, even the General who looked on with a smile on his face.

"How, sir?" Bud asked, his face still in shock over the whole thing.

"It's a long story Bud. . . reason why we called you in is because we need your help."

It was all classified information, but in the room were the people he trusted the most, all of which knew how to deal with sensitive information. He detailed a few of the finer points of his CIA mission and their capture. "I have to go back there, I know where the planes are. . . the woman that set me free gave me a map and I kept it." In fact, it was on him at the moment, it was somewhat of a security blanket.

"You can't use the CIA, sir?" Bud suggested, wanting for his friend not to go in blindly. Sure, between all of the people in the room, they could probably strategize some sort of half-baked, slightly well thought out plan, but backup was needed.

Harm shook his head. "They are after me for treason. . .I have to go at it alone."

Sturgis perked up, an expression of shock on his face. "Treason?"

"In a nutshell, they claim I purposely did something with the planes." The idea still seemed ludicrous to him as much as it did to those that knew him. "I know that they haven't been able to move the planes. . .I mean, I destroyed the master control panel. . so they can't just pick those things up and move them out."

"What makes you so sure?"

Harm shook his head. Was he sure? No, they could have someone on the inside, or maybe even taken one of the men that had trained him. There were manly possibilities, but, the truth was, "I have a gut feeling. . .I know it sounds crazy, but you guys have to trust me."

Mac didn't like the sound of that, because she knew what he was trying to do and, frankly, she was tired of him being the martyr. "Harm, why not contact the agency? . . .We'll vouch for you. . .Even if the planes _are_ there, you said yourself that you took the control panel out"

"There's an override." He said with a grin, his words confusing the group. "And it's classified. . ."

A good part of the morning, he'd spent catching up with the three men, the friends he'd come to know and love. It was the first time he'd seen the General as something more than just a CO. The Marine had obviously been affected by the Commander's loss, but remained stoic to keep his team glued together. Harm briefly touched upon his being captured, leaving out horrors that he didn't want anyone else to experience. In the middle of it, Mac had excused herself and never returned. He had a feeling that third time was not a charm in hearing about his experience.

After things were said and an agreement was made to work as a group on his current 'mission,' he sought her out. As he walked across the bullpen, he couldn't help but notice the _different_ things in _his_ office. Before, he was too preoccupied with what to tell Sturgis and Bud to notice. Now, he saw the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, a bright red flag and a Marine saber. He'd been replaced. Slowly, he walked through Mac's open door. She was seated at her desk, her chair turned towards the window. "So, someone took over my office already?" Already? It had been half a year.

"My _so called_ partner, Major Steele." Mac said without turning partially because of her own personal embarrassment to, even minutely, trusting her _new partner. _After the other nights fiasco, she loathed him more than ever and hated herself for being tricked so easily. Then again, some of her lack of judgment could be excused if you put into place the rollercoaster ride she'd been on in the past seven months. Unfortunately, her rollercoaster ride was full of endless turns and absolutely no way to get off or make it stop. She was just going to have to hang on and ride it out – something that she had grown accustomed to after her personal hell at the hands of her father.

Harm sensed some sort of tension in reference to Mac and the Major. It was odd, considering Marines had a penchant for sticking together and there had always been a small number of Marine officers. He'd figured Steele to be a comrade. Then again, she'd said _partner_ not colleague – and that's when he realized what the problem was (or at least he thought he did), she didn't want him replaced by anyone. No, her _partner_ was alive and well and coming back to JAG. "Might want to tell him that position was filled a decade ago."

But she didn't turn to him, only keep looking out the window, her voice somber. "He's a pilot turned lawyer, just like you." That was when she finally turned and smiled gently. "Unlike you his lawyering sucks."

"Is that so?" He chuckled lightly, keeping his eyes trained on hers when she nodded. A slight movement of her hand and he noticed a mark on her wrist, one that wasn't there the night he left with Clay. "What's that from?"

"Major Steele." Mac wasn't going to hide it because she knew he'd notice. She wasn't going to start lying to him either. Then, there was some small satisfaction at the look on his face; a look that would kill. And, if she wasn't being a complete sadist, it was almost pleasurable to think of Harm kicking the Major's ass for her honor. It had to be the first time in her life that the whole Neanderthal, male complex, thing appealed to her. Still, she wasn't going to play the damsel. "It's fine really."

"How did it happen?" Harm's protective switch turned to 'on' as a million scenarios flashed through his head. Someone had hurt _her_. _His _partner. _His_ Marine. The Major was a dead man.

"I thought he needed help and apparently he didn't realize that a business dinner is just that." Maybe it was Marine Corps camaraderie or the need to help out a fellow officer. But, anyway you put it, But, anyway you put it, a voice inside had always told her something was wrong; she was just too stubborn to admit it. Then, there was her worry over Harm and Clay. (More Harm than Clay.) She needed to get out of the house and away from the space that he'd been occupying in hopes that she wouldn't lose her mind. "Anyway, this was a parting gift."

Now that, had Harm livid. "He attacked you!. . ." He yelled so loudly that, had it been a regular work day, the bullpen would have been stopped dead in it's tracks. "He's a dead man!"

Mac waved off his attempts at gallantry. "Oh, don't worry about it. . .after the place that I kicked him, I doubt there's much man left to kill." She grinned slightly, it had been a cheap shot, but there weren't many self-help books or videos in the art of brawling in an automobile.

"Oww. . ." He resisted the urge to cover his private parts with a shudder. Then, before silence could overtake them, he gave her the information that she already knew. "The General and the boys offered to help me find an easier way of going back there. . . I know you aren't going to like it, but I do have to go back there, alone." There, he said it. It was unceremonious, he didn't hesitate, it was out in the open and from the look on her face, she wasn't going to make his departure an easy one.

Fundamentally, Mac understood what was going on. They were born and bred to serve their government against all enemies. He had a job to do, something that she couldn't stop him from doing. But, it didn't make things any easier and she would be damned if he would go at it alone. "You can't do this alone. . .You need backup." The wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure who would join his endeavor. She made the choice for him. "I'm going with you."

"No, Mac." He stated in a tone that hung with finality. "You aren't going with me."

"Yes I am. . . Look, I am an expert shot." She pleaded her case. "I know how you operate. . . You know how I operate. . .We've done things like this before and tend to get out of it with minimal bumps and scratches. . . .and of course, occasional buck shot." It was a lame effort, joking at their past situations, but she was right – they were good together – in more ways than one.

"The General won't let you go." Or at least he hoped that Creswell would see things his way. He doubted I though, as he'd noticed that the old Marine had a respect for Mac's abilities more than any he'd ever seen.

"Then I'll pull a Harmon Rabb and resign."

That took the wind completely out of his sails. He stared at her and that sly grin that he'd come to love so much. Harm's mouth opened and closed a few times, unable to come up with any other response but, "This is dangerous."

"We've been in dangerous situations before. . .and I trust you." Mac's chocolate colored eyes conveyed that trust – the type that words couldn't describe. Had they really gotten their footing back? Were they ready to trust each other with more than their lives?

"Mac, I can't ask you to go with me."

"I told you I wasn't letting you out of my sight again, and I am keeping that promise. . . so either I go, or I'll order you not to." And there went that sly grin again making it much more difficult for him to deny her anything.

It wasn't what he wanted – far from it – what he wanted was to be back in her apartment, in her bed, learning to trust each other as lovers. He was ready for that and suspected she was too, but his disappearance had, somehow tainted all of that. He'd be perfectly happy if they just lay together, healing the demons that those months had resurrected. But, no, he was going to concede on her joining a mission that was dangerous as hell. "Okay, you go."

Mac smiled brightly, a little too bright considering the task at hand. "Thank you, Harm." She cooed sweetly at him and then walked over to Harm and placed a kiss on his cheek.

-  
Not the reunion everyone as longing for, but I will make it up. Believe me. ;)

NavyBabe – Webb's gonna be out of the picture with this one. As for Steele and Levine, well they have a lot up their sleeves. A lot. Levine is in deeper than people think.

Froggy – LOL! That line will be in Part 3 I think. Or two. . .A hint – it's a porch scene. ;)

Carby – There will be more ass kicking, therea re a LOT of people that need to be throttled in this story.

Jackia – It'll be a third part or a separate story. And you gave me the… idea for it, sorta. ;)

BiteBeccy – So how was this chapter? Is therapy still needed:D

Jtbwriter – Date with the weasel? Could be fun. I might not be a Marine but I am a Cuban with a temper, he wouldn't get past cocktails LOL!


	2. Preparations, Deep Breaths Lots Of Coffe...

Note: This story was, originally, a stand alone until I had the bright (or dumb) idea to have it as a sequel to "Something For The Pain". As a stand alone, Harm and Mac were going to have to go into the woods to search for someone, and have a little adventure (it was oddly a lot like Heart Of Darkness and conceived long before those spoilers came out, go figure!) – hence the title Fully Engaged as in "Full Engagement" which is my fav JAG episode. IT wasn't going to be a re-write, simply a new story, with a similar idea – Harm and Mac in the woods, going through their bantering and maybe throw in a hillbilly or two for fun. - Anyway, as a Stand Alone it was supposed to be WINTER and COLD and since this is a continuation of SFTP (which takes place in summer), you are going to have to bare with me. I've read of some freaky cold summers up North – and even though I am not putting them THAT far north, bare with me. If you don't like it, let me just put out two words for you – BODY HEAT. – Something that, during summer, is not a necessity. ;) And there is actually two or three of those "scenes" in the story. – Enjoy! J.

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, Sunny and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

PART 2 – Preparations, Deep Breaths Lots Of Coffee

July 18, 2005  
2230 Zulu  
AJ Chegwidden's Home  
McLean, Virginia

The idea to head to AJ Chegwidden's home had been a unanimous one. It being a bad idea for Harm to remain in JAG ops, and the group deciding where it would be best to 'hide out' had, somehow, wound up in McLean. He was the best choice, a man that was well versed in missions and combat, he was a friend and not the first person that the CIA would go to. All in all, it worked well.

The greeting between Chegwidden and Creswell surprised Mac, who had always retained the notion that they only knew each other by hearsay. But, no, the way that they greeted each other was more like that of old friends. "You two know each other?"

AJ grinned at his former Chief of Staff. "Know each other? Hell, Biff was one of the Marine Recon leaders when I was driving boats for the Navy. . . We used to be poker buddies every Friday night." Harm and Mac glanced at each other, mouthing the word – 'Biff?' with a hint of amusement at their CO's name.

Creswell gave AJ a pat on the back. "AJ will play anyone under the table."

"We know." Replied the three other men in the room. A few times a year, Bud, Sturgis, Harm and AJ would get together for a 'guys night out' poker game while Mac and Harriet did 'girl things.' Each and every time, the Admiral had cleaned house.

The group spent small time, taking trips down memory lane. It was something that Harm especially needed given the dark nature of his current situation. But, soon, all of that had to come to an end, there was something he needed to find. The map Khadija had given Harm, had been laid out on the coffee table where Biff and AJ sat, trying to make heads or tail out of a map that had things erased from it, others penciled in. They both were confused as to Harm even managed to get home. "Luck." Had been his explanation which made some sort of sense seeing as our favorite pilot-turned-lawyer, seemed to always land on all fours. Still, it didn't really help them figure out where the exact location had been. And, unfortunately for all, Harm was too pumped up on morphine at the time to remember. They knew it was up in the Maritimes, but that stretched to be a lot land and that would take a lot of time and resources, neither of which they had. It took nearly an hour, for AJ and Biff to come up with the best plausible location considering the things that Harm _did_ remember, and the use of the tattered map.

Bud had searched out information on the climate of the local. Harm had remembered, that, even in spring, the days were much colder than in DC and the Maritimes had a penchant for odd weather. Furthermore, there would be a storm going through, that would, no doubt, make the temperatures colder than normal. Then came the evenings, which normally had a bit of chill in the air to begin with. Clothing would be an issue, so Sturgis and Bud were sent out to find things for Harm and Mac to wear until they arrived over the boarder, from there, they could purchase things as they saw fit.

"There's another thing. . .We can't just walk on over there. At least I can't." Harm said with a sigh. "Getting over here in the first place took me days." He'd ended up needing to stow in a truck, scared to death that an inspection would reveal the extra cargo. They didn't know exactly who was in on it all and if they were waiting for him at the boarder. If the CIA was involved, he was sure that they had some of their own people waiting in the major cities. Disguises could always be used, but not all of them worked well.

"I think I can help with that. . .There's an insurgent of Marines heading across the border as part of a joint operation with the Canadian Army's anti-terrorist task force. . . I think I can find a way to have you two join them." Creswell said, laying another problem to rest.

With a grin, Mac nudged Harm.. "Hear that, flyboy, you get to play _Marine_ again."

"I think you liked that waaaaaay too much, MacKenzie." He said, pointing at her and trying to maintain a look of mock hurt, but failing as a smile crept out. He had to admit, he liked it too, there was something to be said about training men and seeing it through with them. Thank God non of them were seriously hurt.

"Well, it was fun watching your sorry squid six, _try_ to be a Marine." She teased with him. Truth be told, she found Harm looked kinda _sexy_ in those Marine greens. She sure liked that haircut he had to get for the job and the fact that she was his superior, well, that was nice too.

"Hey! I did pretty well!" He defended, reaching out to poke her sides. And they were lost in their own little world, oblivious of the two men who were amused by their intriguing relationship.

AJ glanced over at Biff and let out a deep chuckle. "Getting tired of that yet?"

"How did you handle it for so long?" Creswell sighed, they were good together, that much he had to give them. He didn't have any real problems with Harm and Mac being an item, as long as they kept their love life out of his office.

How _did_ AJ handle it for so long? They were both overgrown children with odd needs, but similar dedications. However, when the job needed to be done, they did manage to put personal things aside and work, as a team. That was what he always admired about Harm and Mac. It was what he missed when Harm left JAG and turned to the CIA. So, how did he do it? How do you handle eight years of Harm and Mac? "Deep breaths, lots of coffee and the occasional need to treat them like kindergarten babies."

"Check on the deep breaths and coffee. . ." Biff chuckled, raising up his mug of java.

2304 Zulu  
Raymond Levine's Home  
Alexandria, Virginia

Whatever Major Chris Steele expected, this wasn't it. He'd walked into the mansion, headed straight to Ray's office and, the moment he walked in: WHAM! "What the HELL was that for?" He yelled at Ray who'd slapped him straight across the face with a force that Chris didn't know the older man had. "Jesus!" Self-consciously he rubbed at the sore spot then moved his jaw around, making sure it hadn't locked.

Raymond Levine, I guess you could say he was pretty. . ._upset_. "What the hell was that for?" He yelled angrily before walking over to a small bar and pouring himself some cognac. "What was your mission regarding Colonel MacKenzie?"

"To watch her and seduce her, sir." He spat out, still rubbing the area that was stinging more than it should have. Seduction, had it worked, would have been an exquisite technique. Chris had found that women often would ramble on about sensitive information in the afterglow of sex.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" Ray yelled, then took another gulp of cognac. "When I suggested that you try seducing her, I didn't suggest for you to try and rape her!" He slammed his fist into his desk, the sound reverberating within the walls.

Chris glared at Ray, thoughts of doing bodily harm to the man passing fleetingly through his mind. "I really don't see a difference."

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you. . .What is it that the military calls it when you lose your mind?"

"Section eight."

Ray snapped his fingers. "Yes, section eight. . . Should I start to worry about your state of mind Christopher? I mean, I know you always were a bit out of sorts, but you seem to be out of control."

"If you see me as such a problem, transfer me out of JAG and get me off of this. . . game you are playing." Frankly, he was getting tired of pretending to be what he wasn't. It was stupid, it was a joke and a man of his talents, needed action not to be playing lawyer.

That set Ray off as all images of succeeding in his current endeavor were being torn to pieces by the man standing in front of him. "We can't just transfer you out, you moron! I need someone on the inside since it seems I can't trust Mr. Webb anymore. . . I need someone to watch Sarah MacKenzie."

Chris just chuckled, in all of the things that he looked into about Mac and the short time they spent together he deduced that she'd never been in contact with Harm. In fact, he believed, like everyone else did that Harm was dead. "Look, you don't need me. Rabb isn't there. Even _she_ believes that he is dead. . .Trust me, I can see it in her eyes."

"And what exactly is it that you see?"

It wouldn't have bothered him if it wasn't that he was smitten on the Colonel. "Loss. . .you see the pain of loss in her eyes. Like when you lose a lover. She wouldn't be so lost if he were alive, you can't pretend forever."

"She'll press charges on you. What are we going to do about that?"

With a sigh, Chris dropped into a chair across from Ray's desk. He let a few ideas run through his mind, then grinned. "It's her word against mine. . .Everyone knows she's out of sorts. I can use that. . . I took her home and left, that was it. She invented it."

"It would have been much easier if you just thought with your head instead of your dick." The ring of the phone cut the conversation between the two men short. "Hello. . .yes this is he. . .WHAT!. . .Well, was anyone with him?. . .Christ. . .Yes, yes, thank you." He slammed the phone back into its cradle, finished gulping down the cognac and tossed the glass against the wall.

Chris shook his head and chuckled. "I guess that was bad news?"

"Oh yea. . . Clayton Webb is alive. In critical condition, but alive, at Bethesda."

"So send someone over there to finish the job."

Ray nodded, yes that is what he would do, but there was something else. "There was a man with him, tall, dark hair, light eyes. . . It was Rabb, I know it."

Chris' jaw tightened, no it couldn't be. Rabb couldn't be alive, it was just insane. "What do you want me to do?"

"Go on with things as planned. . .if you find him. . .kill him."

July 19, 2005  
0230 Zulu  
AJ Chegwidden's Home  
McLean, Virginia

"How'd you learn all of this, Bud?" Sturgis stood to the side, admiring how the young Lt. Commander's computer knowledge had created two fake IDs. It hadn't taken him all that long and with the use of Photoshop and AJ's laminating machine, they looked practically genuine.

Computers, for Bud, had always been a labor of love. Though he wouldn't trade his life at JAG for anything in the world, he always wondered what it would be like if he'd continued his technical studies. "Well, when we were younger, my buddies and I needed fake IDs to get into this night club, so we got really good at it."

"I can see." Sturgis took the newly laminated ID and stared at it with disbelief. As of this moment, Harm and Mac were Canadian citizens – David and Catherine Elliott, a husband and wife team of topographical analysts. "You should have gone to a technical school, Bud."

"Yea, I wanted to, but Dad had me join the Navy.. . . I don't regret it though." With the family he had, the friends he made and one special person in his life, Harriet, there were never any regrets. "Besides, I wouldn't have met Harriet." That, he believed, was something that could never be traded.

Just outside of AJ's office, Harm, Mac, AJ and Creswell sat at his dinner table, bouncing ideas off of each other. "I'll make sure that the Marines hand the two of you at least a pistol each."

AJ nodded. "I agree, anything more than that would be would be ludicrous." He turned over to Harm and Mac. "You two are sure about this? I mean, no back up?"

Mac nodded. "Yes, sir. . .the Commander and I will be fine."

"I'll handle everyone at the office. Major Steele will be told that you left in order to visit a sick relative." Creswell offered as a perfectly plausible reason as to why she'd be out of the office. TADs could be traced, but if she went off on personal time, it would be different.

Bud had caught the tail end of the conversation, and at the mention of Major Steele, the normally calm Commander was livid. "With all due respect, sir. . .Why does Major Steele need to know anything about the Colonel? As far as I am concerned, it's non of his damn business what Mac does."

"I don't follow, Commander." Creswell was mildly curious at what Bud was getting at. He'd sensed a. . . tension between Bud and Chris, but figured it was just a rivalry considering Bud was kicking Chris' six all over the courtroom.

Bud had wanted to say something about Major Steele's demeanor in reference to Mac, but he'd never been one to spread scuttlebutt. Not to mention, Mac would probably have _his_ ass in a sling if she found out he was playing hero. But, considering their current non-formal circumstance, he figured it would be a good idea to come clean.. "He's attracted to the Colonel and while that isn't a crime. . .I don't know. . there was. . . something in his eyes which leads me to believe that his intentions towards the Colonel are not healthy." And that was putting it lightly because what Bud saw in Chris' eyes was downright scary. "I know you do not need protection, Ma'am, which is why I didn't say anything. He didn't really say anything lewd but, his demeanor. . ." With a sigh, and his head hanging low, he confessed. "I'm not the type to lose my head, but, we had it out in the JAG elevators. . .I told him I'd hurt him if he tried anything with you."

Harm had been relatively calm about Steele after Mac confessed to having clocked him in the unmentionables. Now, he was starting to worry, had things been far worse than that? "Mac?" He wanted to vouch for her and Bud. To let people know that Steele had attacked her, but it wasn't his call and he didn't need an angry Marine on his case.

"Thank you, Bud. . .and, your actions weren't unfounded." She raised her hand up, showing the ugly bruise on her wrist. Mac didn't want anyone to know, as much as she should have pressed charges, she believed in getting things done herself. She didn't want to become a victim or be treated as one. "This was a gift from the Major when he believed a business dinner to be something more."

All of the men around her fought to control their own anger. Mac was well liked, respected and feared. She was one of them, one of the _family_ and anyone treating her in such a way, would pay dearly. "I can't wait to see him on Monday." Creswell stated with an anger that he could not control. "I am going to kick his ass. What the HELL was he thinking?"

"Actually, sir. . .I am not pressing charges at the moment." Mac sighed, as much as she wanted to see Chris get his, there was a logical explanation for things to remain at status quo. "The Commander and I have a job to do. If I press charges I would have to stay here and I will not let him go alone. . . We can deal with it once we get back. . . and I will deal with it."

"If that's what you want, Colonel, fine. . .But I am going to bury him with all I've got in the office." Creswell grinned mischievously, already thinking of the lovely reports that Chris was going to be buried with.

One hour later, the group was still going over the 'mission' as Creswell awaited a call from Andrews about the ETD on the Marine team. In the middle of it all, Harm had wandered off and headed outside. It all was starting to be a bit much for him and the fresh air was helping clear his head. "You shouldn't be out here." Mac's said with a soft voice, hoping not to startle him.

She didn't, because he'd felt her watching him through the windows and knew, immediately, when she had stepped outside. "It's beautiful out tonight, I couldn't resist."

Tentatively, she placed a hand on his back, noting the way he tensed at her touch. With a frown, she remembered the scars, ones that had healed, but were probably still painful. "Do they still hurt? The scars?"

"I think they always will in some way." It wasn't the physical pain, that he knew he could get through, it was the emotional ones that still plagued him. When he closed his eyes, his mind had days of throwing him back into his hell. When would he feel safe in his own skin?

Mac walked next to him, leaning on the railing. "I wish I could take the pain away, Harm. . .I just don't know how to."

He didn't look at her then, only nodded and continued glancing up at the skies. At that particular moment, a shooting star crossed the sky and he couldn't help but wish for their safe passage. It was then he noticed she'd been watching him, with a worried expression. "You can still back out, you know?" It was meant as a suggestion, but he knew very well that she wouldn't leave him alone.

"You know me better than to suggest that." She said with a smirk.

"Since when did you become my caretaker anyway?"

With a grin, she used a line that he'd given her once upon a time. "Well, ah, you save someone's life. . .it makes you responsible for them."

That was one of the things he'd told her nearly four years ago on this very porch. He was surprised she remembered. "You've done more than just save my life, Mac. . . You made it worth living." For the first time since she stepped outside, Harm look at her, really looked at her. His eyes conveyed a message that he couldn't get out with words. "Thank you for believing I was still out there. . ."

She felt that pull between them like steel to a magnet. After everything was right again would they have a chance to explore their relationship? They had no reason not to anymore. As far as Mac was concerned, the jukebox had stopped the music and she was all out of quarters; there would be no more dancing. "I had to, because I. . .Lo. ."

"Commander, Colonel. . . Everything is ready." Bud glanced between them, feeling embarrassed what he just realized he'd interrupted. "I'll. . .uh, tell them you need a few minutes."

Harm chuckled, it was amusing, the interruptions. Amusing but tiresome. "Thanks Bud." He waited for the young Commander to head back inside. They stared at each other, neither wanting to go in just yet. "I know, Mac. . . Believe me, I know." He leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to hers. It wasn't a passionate kiss, but, it was their first true kiss. He wasn't kissing a ghost, she wasn't cheating on her fiancé and there was no mistletoe. It was a real kiss between them; even though a quick one, it hinted at something more.

-

Martini – Oooh a threat! YAY! ;) Is this a good way to start? There is some body heat coming up ;) And a little more after that… ;) Just strap on in for the ride

NK – Thanks for dropping by the site! I try my best to keep it up and running all nice and purdy :)

Foxy – LOL! Thanx BTW – Glad to see another chappie in your story! Woo Hoo:)

Charmboy – You know, I also have a one track mind. LOL! It might be coming up. :whistles and points to a spot somewhere round chapter 6 or 7:winks: Got it?

LtJGMeg – Jeez, don't you just hate Webb or what? LOL! Well, here's the thing, Webb needs to spill the beans of what he knows so hopefully they can bring down the baddies. :P Sad that he is needed, huh?

Jtbwriter – A lot of forgiveness going on lately. And in this chappie I gave you more than a kiss on the cheek. ;)

Carby – There will be action scenes, kicking ass scenes and Major Steele may just get his. If not, I'll toss him to you guys. :D

Harmfan – Hey, I am not THAT evil! I need Harm, MAC needs Harm!

Xblue – LOL! Calix has turned eh? Yep, must be my charm or the bribery. Probably the latter. ;)

Tina – Mac usually does have to protect Harm, and vice versa, they tend to be synonymous with trouble. ;)

NG – Oh there will be hot and fiery eventually.

BiteBeccy – But, I gave you the kiss on this part ehehehe. They were in the office on the first part which is why I didn't want them lip smacking.


	3. Beyond The Pale

This has really been a fun and challenging story to write. I think you guys are going to like the up and coming chapters. Some are pretty intense. :) Thanks for all of the feedback! It's truly appreciated! You guys rock:)

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

PART 3 – Beyond The Pale

July 19, 2005  
1310 Zulu  
JAG Headquarters  
Falls Church, Virginia

"Morning, Commander." Bud wearily walked into the kitchen, finding Sturgis leaning up against the cabinets holding a cup of coffee.

Sturgis barely noticed Bud until a hand reached out in front of him, straining for the coffee pot. "Huh? Oh, hey Bud." With a sigh, he came to his feet. It took him two seconds to rethink that motion and moved back to lean against the cabinet. "I'm contemplating stretching out on the counter and going to sleep." It had been a long night for the both of them. The group had stayed with Harm and Mac until about four hours ago, when they flew out of Andrews with the Marine team.

"I say we turn the conference room into a hotel for the day and just sleep the day away in there." They heard Creswell say as he stepped into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee pot which Bud was holding. Neither men even bothered attempting to snap to attention. "I see you two aren't holding up any better?"

"No, sir." They said in unison.

"I am used to few hours of sleep, but I've been up all this time, thinking. . . this whole businesses. . .It's disgusting." It was a reference to everything in general, Harm's situation, Mac being attacked, the CIA meddling. It was something he was going to stop or die trying. "I can't believe that Major. . ."

"Morning!" Major Steele stepped into the kitchen wearing a bright smile. He glanced at all three men who seem a bit more 'chummy' than usual. It was then that he started to panic. _They knew._ They knew what had happened between him and Mac. They had to know else they wouldn't be looking at him that way. "Pardon me for saying, but you three seem tired."

Bud did his best not to throttle Chris right then in there, the idea was becoming almost pleasant. Sturgis himself had forgotten his exhaustion, his mind seemed to only bring up a mental image of the bruise on Mac's wrist. Thankfully, the General seemed to control himself better. "Commander Turner invited us to a poker game, unfortunately it lasted all night."

Chris felt a slight pang of jealousy, making it even more evident that he was the disliked one in the office. "I see. ..Who won?"

"I did." Bud said, his voice much harder than he intended. "Excuse me, sirs, I have to prepare to wipe the floor with Major Steele here." He grinned evilly at Steele, then stepped out with coffee mug in hand; court today was going to be fun.

Even if he wanted to, Chris couldn't help but seem nervous. The lawyers speaking into his ear weren't quick enough, nor were they briefed well on the UCMJ. He was going to crash and burn and Roberts was going to be too happy to be the one torching him. "So, Colonel MacKenzie is late." He decided to test the waters about Mac, trying to catch any movement from the two men that would allow him to figure out if she'd told anyone.

Like a true master and commander, the General responded with his emotional mask on. "Ah, I forgot to mention. . .The Colonel is taking some leave, apparently a relative back home is sick."

Sturgis nodded. "She'd mentioned that to me a few days ago, sir. . .I believe it was her aunt." He added to corroborate the General's story.

"Well, keep them in your prayers, gentlemen. . . Now get back to work." Creswell nodded at his two officers, then went on his way.

Chris stared at Sturgis for a moment, nope, there was nothing to pick off on. "Did she say anything else? . . The uh, Colonel I mean."

"Hmm." Sturgis rubbed his chin as he stood in 'thought' of what else Mac could have said. "Not that I recall, but she did mention that there was something important to tell us when she got back, that we should ask _you_ about it."

Chris nodded stupidly. "Me? Well, yea we were discussing the Jennings uh. . .Article. . Thirty-uh-two. . .I assume you'll get the case now."

"Yep, I guess so. . . it's going to be fun heading to court with you, Major." Sturgis padded Major Steele HARD on his arm, causing the coffee in his cup to slosh and spill to the floor. "Clean that up, will ya?" He stepped out of the kitchen with a semi-satisfied smirk as Chris stared on with a bewildered expression.

July 20, 2005  
1910 Zulu  
Somewhere East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

It had taken much less time than expected for Harm and Mac arrive at their destination in Canada. The disguises had worked, though there had been a close call when a security agent had stopped Harm. Luckily, he was only asking for something to light his cigarette. They flew to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, a city Harm only remembered by name because he barely remembered how he'd arrived there after escaping Temir's compound. The compound was a good hundred miles north east from the city, deep in the mountains.

They were posing as a husband and wife pair of topographical analysts interested in checking on the Long Range Mountains which were part of the Appalachian Mountain ranges. With the use of their guises, they were able to find a local tour guide to take them as far as possible with a vehicle. "Would you like for me to head back at some point and pick you up?"

Mac smiled. The gentleman had been very helpful thus far, but he couldn't go further with them. "No thank you, my husband and I will probably be hiking for sometime."

Jonah chuckled. "So many miles, ma'am. . . I wouldn't want you to get tired."

"Oh, don't worry, we hike ever other weekend. . . we're used to that sort of thing." After slipping 300 Canadian dollars in Jonah's hand, Harm patted the man on the back. "We'll be fine."

They waited at least ten minutes for Jonah to get out of the area before heading off. The hike had been pleasant, though the weather was a bit cool for Mac's taste, but, after spending much of their time on the move, her body had grown accustomed to it. When the terrain permitted, they would walk side by side like the true partners that they were. Often they would joke, but, when there was nothing but silence, the wheels in her mind kept turning.

Mac kept recalling how Harm looked when he'd first arrived on her doorstep. How he'd managed to make it back, considering the terrain was beyond her. From the bits and pieces that she'd gathered, he was too drugged up to notice what was going on. It made her wonder how much his body had forced him to forget. Hopefully, those memories would never return to hurt him, for the demons to be put to rest.

"You've been awfully quiet, Mac." Harm stated as they rested against a tree, deciding to dig into one pack of MREs each. "Couldn't we have brought real food on this?"

"Real food?" Mac said with a chuckle. "You eat rabbit food half of the time. . .If anyone should be complaining about MREs it's me."

Yep, in the past he was all about the health food, but after spending so many months eating putrid gruel, healthy was not a big issue. "Mac, I've been so starved for real food that Beltway Burgers are beginning to sound like a five star meal."

That had her chuckling harder, though, regarding her own time in captivity, she could commiserate in the need of having real food. Noting, yet again, how much weight he'd lost, she would spend a good time putting more meat on his bones if they got back home. . .no, not if. . . WHEN they got back home. "I'll tell you what, _when_ we get back home I'm taking you to dinner _anywhere_ you want."

"That's a deal, MacKenzie and I am holding you to that and I promise, no rabbit food." He lifted his packet of MREs in a toast and smiled. "You know, I keep wondering what would happened if I'd become a field agent." That little tidbit had Mac's stomach doing unwanted flips. He turned his head slightly and glanced. "They offered you know? Back when I was still flying for them."

Mac had suddenly lost her appetite. "Well, I for one am glad you weren't. . . They'll suck your soul out Harm. . .I know they are doing good for America, but it's their tactics I don't agree with."

He took both their MRE packets and dug a hole in the dirt to bury them. "Yea, I guess. . . It was tempting, really tempting. . .sorta exciting."

"Then why didn't you take it?" She knew his heroic side had a way of just obliterating his better judgment, it had happened time and time again.

That was a question he'd asked himself so many times over and over. If he was completely truthful, there was one _massive_ reason. He looked up at her then turned away slightly. "Ah. . .Mac, you know? It's just that. . ." With a sigh, he allowed himself to become vulnerable to her, not like there was reason to deny it any longer, she wasn't with '_him'_ anymore. "Honestly, I just didn't want to wind up on some goddamned mission with Webb and have him gloat about being with you." There, he said it, out loud and to the person he wanted to hide that tidbit away from the most.

"I told you that we weren't really together until Sadik. . ."

"I know that _now_." He interrupted. "But, back then, when I saw you two in the hospital. . .I've never felt so angry or hurt before." Harm had been lucky he was a survivor, any other heartbroken man would have done something crazy. Not that the feeling of crashing a plane into oblivion didn't cross his mind. "You know, I wanted to hurt you. . .not physically." He corrected himself, raising his hands in a show of peace. "I kept thinking of crashing whatever I'd been flying in hopes that my death would weigh on your conscience."

Reflexively, she swallowed hard at the sudden knot at her through. "Oh God." There wasn't much else for her to say, words just weren't coming to her. "That's. . .God, I don't want to even think about that. . ." She blinked back a tear, successfully bringing herself under control before it snapped. "I honestly thought that having a clean break with you was what you wanted. . .what we both wanted."

"Because I didn't fight." He knew that was the stupidest move, not fighting her on the 'never' comment. And was another thing that plagued him; the 'what ifs.' What if he'd fought her on that? What if he'd kissed her then, so passionately that any thoughts of being with Webb just vanished? "Look, it's past. . .all of it."

Mac smile spread slowly. "Yea it is." He was right about that, it was past and, as usual they wound up together again. "We have a knack of coming out of these things, don't we?"

"A little worse for wear, but yea. . .Butch and Sundance tend to come out on top." He picked up her pack and motioned for Mac to turn around. "This kinda reminds me of that first time I took you flying." He slipped the pack on her, then grabbed his own.

"As long as there are no psychotic poachers, I'll be fine." She mused, reaching over to buckle his pack in the front. "That's not something I want to live through again."

Harm chuckled. "Oh, it wasn't all bad."

"Wasn't all good either. . .Now, let's get going flyboy, we have to find a decent place to camp."

2010 Zulu  
CIA Headquarters  
Langley, Virginia

Tentatively the Major walked into Raymond Levine's office. "There was a note on my desk, you wanted to see speak to me privately?" The past day and a half had been pure murder for him. Bud not only wiped the floor with his six, but he had the Major thrown out of court when an outburst turned a bit too violent. As a result, Judge Helfman and General Creswell decided that the best bet was to take the man off of the case.

Since then, he'd been buried with file after file that seemed to reproduce on his desk. Some he'd managed to finish, others were in the briefcase he was holding. There was also a different temperament in the office. He could tell that something had happened, but whether or not it had to do with his attack on the Colonel remained to be seen.

To say that Raymond Levine was angry was one hell of an understatement. Shit had finally hit the proverbial fan in regards to all of his scheming with Harm and Webb. The agent had woken up earlier in the day and informed Porter Webb who passed the information onto the SECNAV and General Creswell that Harm was not an enemy of the State. If anything, he was a hero. News was traveling up the grapevine at a speed so fast that it almost had a chance to change things. Almost, but not quite and there was a fine reason for that. "Kershaw is dead."

Chris sat down, a smug look on his face appeared. "Well, then I should say congratulations." He studied Levine for another moment, maybe it was the pressure, but Levine didn't seem so chipper. "This is good news, but you don't look pleased."

Ray drank down the cognac he had set on the desk then angrily set the glass down. "I'm not."

"Okay, look, you're acting very melodramatic here. What's up?"

"Webb's woken up. . . he also sang like a canary to, of all people, the SECNAV who just so happened to be in Bethesda. He told them that someone in the CIA was responsible for what happened to Rabb and Watson. . . It got to me and I denied those statements, but there's only so long I can keep us out of it. . .I intend to pay him a visit and quash any further statements." For the first time, he noticed Chris seemed to tense slightly, there was something else. "What is it?"

"It's MacKenzie. . . The General said she was visiting relatives and, at the moment, I don't think that is the case." Chris was certain now why things were odd in the office. Why Mac hadn't checked in nor returned calls. "She's with Rabb."

Ray shook his head, then threw it back in laughter. "You are slow, Christopher." He reached for a file on his desk and tossed it over to Chris who couldn't catch it. The papers inside spilled out including several pictures of Harm and Mac. Recent pictures of them together in Corner Brook. "Those were taken today and e-mailed over. . . They're going after the planes and that can't happen." Refilling his glass of cognac, he let Chris digest the information. "Rabb has intimate details of the Aurora. He'll try to take them back and all of our plans will be worthless." Standing, he came around and pointed to a GPS coordinate not that far away from the planes. "Intercept them and make sure Rabb doesn't get anywhere near the planes."

Chris nodded, relief evident in his eyes as he tasted the freedom away from JAG. He was going out into the real world to do real work. "And what about MacKenzie?"

"Entirely up to you. She's expendable."

-

Moonlight – Glad you found the stories, hope you stick along for the ride. Harm might meet Temir again. We'll see :) - As for news on DJE – I'm not commenting on here, you can e-mail me privately I can point you to places to find more info.

Socgrl – LOL! Thre we go! It'll be a spin off - The JAGfather! ;) – Mess with them and you'll sleep with the fishies! LOL! I laughed for a while when I read this review. Actually, I am still laughing:P

NK – The fake names are great huh? You can tell I wasn't being creative that day LOL! In any case, I think, at some point I cut it down to Cathy and Dave LOL! How about we move them over to Wisteria Lane along with the Desperate Housewives crew? Cathy and Dave, the topographical analysts! How cute LOL!

Jagnut – No clue why that happens, save to say that Ffnet is on some nasty crack.

Harmfan – LOL! I love how everyone is ganging up on Chris. He is just misunderstood. . . Okay, no, he's an ass! He must die!

LtJgMeg – Dunno, Webb may be useful if I go for a third story. ;)

Ninjaturte – Oh yes! BODY HEAT!

Froggy – On the kiss, there will be more. ;) If you guys behave definitely more:)

Jtb – But I might need Mr. Weasle. ;)

Xblue – I love Full Engagement, it's my fav of all. As for the box set :waves 300.00: Helloooooo we'll buy it! A bunch of people signing a petition can't be wrong!


	4. Two Kinds Of Love

Wooo! Well, it's been a fun weekend. Got a little bit of writing done as well. So, my original thoughts of this story being 10 parts is not going to happen. It'll have more than 10. Exactly how many, well, I am working on that. Thus far I am up to chapter 9. ;)

I think everyone will like this part. A bit more convo with Harm and Mac and a funny situation.

Enjoy!

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

Part 4 – Two Kinds Of Love  
July 20, 2005  
2310 Zulu  
Somewhere East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

"This looks like a good place to stop." Harm said, turning around as he checked out an area nestled between the trees and some massive rock. "What do you think?"

Mac shrugged. "Hey you're the one with survival training that can make a condo out of a cave with just a branch and a few twigs. . . I'm a Marine, a foxhole is just dandy with me." She set her pack down against a tree and grinned up at Harm and his expression of amusement.

"A condo, huh?" He placed his own pack next to hers and chuckled. "You didn't think much of it that night in the woods."

She gave off an un-ladylike snort as she removed the sleeping bag from the pack. "Can you blame me? I had a bullet in my thigh. . .Trust me, you'd have been bitching too."

"Yea, yea, yea. . .That cave was pretty cozy though." Though it wasn't the twigs or the branches that made it cozy. It was her body pressed up against his. ". .I'm going to go find some suitable twigs to make a fire, can you dig a pit?" With a nod he set off, making sure not to move too far away from their area.

Sometime later, they sat across from each other, the fire between them as they worked on two packets of MREs each and a few candy bars that Mac had picked up in Corner Brook. "Did you ever want to be anything else? Like if you weren't in the Navy?"

Harm hadn't really considered anything else for as long as he could remember. Then again, wanting to follow in his dad's footsteps, every other job in the world didn't seem neither fitting or having the discipline he craved. Still, their whole mission was a bit on the serious side for him to bring up a somber past. Instead, he just smirked and nodded. "I, like every other action seeking male, wouldn't mind being Bond. . .James Bond." He tried his best, British secret agent voice which had them both laughing.

"Thought you said the spookster job wasn't for you?" Mac asked then took a bite of a Snickers bar. Some of it's caramel stuck to her lower lip which she licked off, the action causing him to blush slightly, but the light from the flames masked it.

He shook it off rather quickly, there would hopefully be a time to explore this thing with Mac when they got home. _When_ they got home. "Well, Bond is different. . .You know he'll always win at the end. He gets all of these cool cars and gadgets and . . he always gets the girl." He concluded, wagging his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Mac rolled her yes in mock disgust. "Girlsssssss, as in _plural_." She said, with a shake of her head. "Bond always gets the Girlssssssss."

That had him grinning from ear to ear. He wouldn't admit it to Mac, but she would make quite the bond girl. "Girlssssssss, as in: more than one? Now it's _really_ becoming tempting."

"Ugh, men. . .you are all predictable." She balled up the wrapper from an MRE and flung it at him.

Harm caught the wrapper in midair, surprising both himself and Mac that his reflexes were starting to work well again. "Actually, not all men are the same. . .I'm more of a one woman type of guy. And I am not into sharing either." He added with finality, mirroring a conversation they'd had the year prior when Mac had been prosecuting against a bigamist.

"Days of being a playboy are over?" She said in challenge, enjoying their friendly banter which she'd missed so much.

"I was never a playboy. . .Problem with most women is that all they see a man in uniform who they'll find good looking." He defended. Course, that was something along the lines of what Renee had told him – that what had her attraction to him, at first, was the uniform. "Rid me of my pilot status and the uniform and I'd be an average joe."

That surprised her because it was difficult to believe that a man as good looking as Harm didn't see how women would do anything for him. "You don't think you're attractive?"

"I'd say I am average."

Average? Whatever Harm was, to Mac, he was a hell of a lot more than just average. Of course, she had a biased opinion. "Harm, we're talking friend to friend here. . . don't try to be modest."

"I'm not. . . I'm being honest. . . God, Mac I am a jerk sometimes, so something has to work for me, I know it's the uniform."

Sometimes, Mac had noticed that he seemed to be oblivious to women. Either that or he'd had women throwing themselves at him so much, he'd stopped noticing. Well, if it wasn't the uniform, there was one Rabb charm that drove any woman mad. "I have one thing that works for you - your smile.. . . And you know damned well it works."

Harm tried not to smile at that when he wanted so badly to charm her. But then he remembered her voice from far away. '_That's a nice smile Commander and I am sure, most of the time, it gets you what you want. But I don't know you.' _Looking up at her he chuckled. "My smile has never worked on you. . .First few times I tried it, you put me in my place."

She was remembering the same moment and as a woman who had been used to her share of attention from men, she didn't need a partner ogling her every chance he got. Then there was a certain comment when a need to deck him combined with a female want of him. "Well after that remark of a bed in the back of the truck, I wasn't sure if you were trying to seduce me or not."

His mouth opened and closed a few times. Seduce her he wasn't trying, but he had to admit that Mac did things to him. "I wasn't seducing you. . .Not consciously I wasn't. And you can't hardly blame me. . .You are beautiful, Mac."

Her blush was masked by the flames for which she was thankful. "Thank you."

"I mean it." Their eyes locked and with a gaze they shared a myriad of emotions. He'd barely noticed that his breathing was shallow, his skin felt as if she were touching him.

Mac licked her lips and took a deep breath, it was then that the spell between them broke as her body unconsciously let her know the weather had dropped. She wrapped her arms around her body and shivered. "It's freezing."

"I'm thinking we should sleep in the same sleeping bag. . .Temperature is probably going to drop some, body heat is the way to go." Harm stated casually as he came to his feet and picked up the empty MRE packets.

"Ah." It amused her how casually he'd suggested that. True, it was cold, but they had sleeping bags and provisions. However, spending the night in Harm's arms wouldn't be too shabby; not too shabby at all. She took her own packets and followed Harm into the woods to bury them. "So what's the sleeping arrangement going to be like?"

"We can use my bag. It's a two person bag. I used to have to fit me and a date. . ." He stopped quickly when he realized he was about to divulge a bit more information than he wanted her to know. But, it was too late, she caught on and was giving him that trademark arched eyebrow. Insertion of foot in mouth: complete! "What I meant was. . ."

"Lemme guess Mr. Bond; camping with one of your bond girls?" She finished covering the packets with dirt and gave him a look that would have killed. However, she couldn't hold that expression for too long; the laughter gave her away.

"Hah. . .Funny Mac. . . So yea, we can sleep in my bag and use yours like a blanket."

Mac still chuckled as they headed back to camp. "You don't have to hide it, Pops filled me in that first time we went flying. . . How you'd go off with a 'purdy lil lady' and not come back 'til mornin'." She was still teasing, seeing how far he'd let her take this before he changed the subject. Truth be told, she wondered if that had been on his mind when he suggested they play hooky. Mac doubted it, but it was nice to dream.

Harm paled as he worked on making a sleeping area for the two of them. When he turned to the side, Mac was washing her face with some of the water they'd brought. "You'd think I'd do that all of the time. . .I did it once." She turned to him, water dripping off of her face of disbelief. "Okay, fine. . . three times, but that was before I met you."

"Hey, I am not stopping you from going on your adventures, Mr. Bond." She said with another chuckle. True, she wasn't stopping him, but did she really like it? No! And she suspected he felt the same nausea at seeing her with another man. Next, she grabbed a travel toothbrush and paste and started brushing her teeth.

'That's it?' Harm thought. 'She isn't going to dig into my wilder past?' If Harm was really honest to himself, he liked her jealous of the other women in his past. Any emotion that broke the barrier of being 'just friends' was good. "I know. . .but I want you to respect me, Mac."

"I do, Harm. . . And I know that you respect me too." She dried her face with a small towel, then tucked everything back into her pack.

"It's a bit more than that." He stood up, grabbed his own canteen, toothbrush and paste.

"More than that?" Mac stood behind him, waiting for him to finish and then answer her question.

"Look, you're a friend, a close one and I was older when we met. . . I wasn't into chasing skirts anymore. . ."

She studied him for a moment, then grinned. "Harm, I know you aren't a womanizer. And I do respect you. . . And by the way, that was a nice closing argument."

Breaking into laughter, he shook his head and pointed at her. "Thank you."

Mac handed her sleeping bag over to Harm who laid it over his own. It was, as she took a good look around the area, that she remembered what they were doing. This wasn't a camping trip, they were on a mission. It was sad really to think that she'd spent so long waiting for him to come to her, believing he was still alive only to go back to status quo. Well, maybe it wasn't status quo, there had been some moments like that kiss at the Admiral's porch that nearly became something more. But, 'nearly' wasn't enough when she'd spent the better part of six months longing for him. Six months? Hah! Try a decade. "How do you we always wind up on these. . . things?"

Harm sat on his bag and began to undo his boots. With a shrug he looked up at her. "I don't know. But, I gotta tell ya that. . .I am through after this."

"I just can't believe Mr. I Screw Up Every Mission. . .He couldn't have gotten you killed." She was angry about that and so many other things that it couldn't be put into words anymore. Mac wanted to hate him, but noting that he was not faring so well, it was difficult to.

Though he wanted to know exactly what she was thinking, he figured it really wasn't something she'd want to share. Then again, if it was about Webb, he really didn't want to know. He slid his pack behind him, so that they would be able to use it as a pillow. "Mac, it'll be fine. . . We'll be okay." Harm moved into the sleeping bag, settling himself all the way in to make room for Mac.

Just beyond the trees, the beautiful night sky shone down. The starts looked like diamonds in the sky. A beautiful night was being wasted by their current situation. She sat down beside him and worked on removing her own boots. "_Right_, because it's _always_ fine when Webb's involved." When she was done, she sat and just stared out into the night. . What would have happened had she and Webb still continued on? She knew it – it would've ended anyway. How could a man, that claimed to love her, been so cruel? "Do you remember that day, when I went out to lunch with Tanveer?

"I think so."

"When we were walking through the park. . . Tanveer saw something shining in the bushes. . . then there was a shot which missed both of us. . . It was WEBB, Harm. . .He pulled the trigger."

Harm sat up straight in the sleeping bag and turned slightly so he could look at her. There was anger on his features and a rage building inside. "Woah Woah woah, he shot at Tanveer with you nearby?"

"I was right next to him."

"Is he insane! Christ, Mac he could've. . . could've. . .he. ." All of the bad things he wanted to put aside in reference to Clayton Webb came straight up to the surface. If he'd been anywhere near him and Mac at the moment, Harm would pound him into oblivion. "I can't believe he'd do that. . . I wouldn't do that!" Gently, he placed his hand on one of her shoulders and tugged so that she would get into the bag with him.

"I know you wouldn't. . .You're rational. . ." After two seconds of though, a wicked grin played on her lips. "Well, sometimes you're rational." She snuggled herself into the sleeping bag and turned on her side to face him. "Ah. . .better."

"Warm now?"

"I will be." She smiled, with a look of pure bliss.

"Told ya body heat would work." Though they really weren't _that_ close. It wasn't like in the Afghan desert when his body had engulfed hers. Nor was it like that night spent in a cave when he'd held her so tight for fear of letting her go and that bullet wound taking her from him. "I mean, it _is_ an excellent survival technique." He grinned at her. Maybe having Mac along this trip wasn't such a bad idea?

She continued smiling, he was just so cute. "I think you just wanna spend the night with me in your arms." Mac stated boldly, finding that she had been doing that a lot with him as of late.

The temptation to joke it off dissipated when he felt the warmth between them. Would it be so bad to just tell the truth? "Yes I do. And I think you want to be in my arms."

"Yes." The desire to kiss him was so strong, but she needed to get _closer. _Mac moved in the bag, attempting to snuggle up to him when she noticed that the bag was open on her end letting I a brisk chill up her spine. Her fingers brushed against the bag. "I can't reach the zipper." Twisting, she tried angling her body and scrunching down to no avail. "Hmm, this isn't working."

Harm slid closer to her, his larger frame pinning her down as he felt around inside of the bag for the zipper. "Excuse me."

"Oh, sure." She sounded playfully sarcastic, something that masked the fact that she rather _liked_ having his body covering her own. But, after a few tries too many and the awkward position that had him elbowing her on the side, it was time to protest. "You know? Let me give it another try, it's on my end."

"No, I got it Mac, I just think it's stuck." He said with a grunt as the zipper slid out of his fingers.

She shifted slightly, or tried to as his body still had her pinned down. "Let me help you."

"I don't need help, I just need you to stay still."

That was easy for him to say, he wasn't the one being squashed and elbowed. Mac shifted again, trying for the zipper. "Harm, stop being pigheaded and let me give it a shot, sometimes finesse works."

"Screw finesse, Mac. . ." He tried again, but the thing just would not budge. "Damn it, why isn't this sucker moving?"

Now she was irritated. "Okay, that's it!" She turned swiftly; maybe a bit too swiftly.

"OWWW!" Harm wasn't too sure how she'd managed it, but somehow her knee had come between his legs. In her swift movement, she'd jerked it up kneeing him in the groin. Reflexively, his hands came to the area. "Ooooooooh. God . . Blinding pain!"

"Oh." Was all Mac was able to say, from the light of the fire, she could see his face contorted. She eased him onto his back and chewed on her lower lip nervously. "Can I, uh. . . help in any way?"

Harm was breathing so erratically it was as if he were teaching a Lamaze class. "Yea, stay on _your_ side." He rocked his body a few times, hoping a change in position could ease some of the throbbing. "I know I am pigheaded, but you didn't have to knee me in the nads!"

Mac was trying hard not to chuckle, really she was, but part of it was funny. "I . . didn't. . .do. . .this. . . on purpose." She said between giggles. "I am sorry though, I really am."

"I have to say, that is the _first_ time that's ever happen to me." He took a few deep breaths and stretched out, as the pain began subsiding. Thankfully it wasn't a very hard kick. Shaking his head, he stared at Mac who'd no longer found the situation amusing. In fact, she was frowning. "I know you didn't do it on purpose. . . but, it still hurts like hell." Again, he pulled her into the bag with him, noting that she was laying straight and barely breathing. "Yea, stay still while I close this stupid thing."

Mac did just that, laying perfectly still as his body crossed over hers. She heard a few muffled curses and then a zipping sound. It was then that his body moved off of hers and to his side. For a moment, they lay quietly together, both of them staring up at the night sky. I was beautiful. Every single star was shining brightly down on them. "This reminds me of that night in Afghanistan."

"I wanted to kill Webb." Harm turned on his side so that he could face her.

"That made two of us." She turned to her side as well when she felt his breath on her skin. "Just another adventure we got out of."

"I don't know about that, we did have plenty of scrapes and scratches. . . but that moment when we were laying together was nice." He pulled her close to him, bringing her body as close as possible – body heat.

Mac found herself cocooned within his arms. It felt so safe and so right. Though they weren't on the most comfortable place on earth, she already could tell that tonight, she'd sleep well. He let her go for a moment, bringing her sleeping bag over them like a blanket and then, he wrapped himself around her again. "_This_ is nice." She said softly.

"Yea it is." Harm replied just as softly, smiling at the expression on her face. She seemed to be so at peace.

"Night Harm."

"Night." He only pulled her closer as her head rested next to his. Mac's eyes were closed but she could still feel his gaze on her, it made her smile slightly. With a calming sigh, Harm closed his own eyes and allowed his body to rest; enjoying the calm before the storm.


	5. Chit Chat

This is a bit of a filler chapter, it has some nice moments but a back and forth with what Harm and Mac want. I think between the tension and the stress of the "mission" there isn't time to really dwell on feelings too much. There will be a moment that it will happen though. ;) I promise! We might even get a few "l" words out. Hehehe :)

Enjoy!

Jackie.

PART 5 – Chit Chat

July 21, 2005  
1230 Zulu  
Somewhere East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

They were kissing, slow and passionately, giving into emotions that had been hidden away for so long. His mouth trailed hot kisses from her lips to her neck, stopping to unbutton the flannel shirt she had on. "Right there." She cooed, arching her body against his. It was right as he was going to continue his exploration when he felt something shifting in the sleeping bag.

Cracking one eye open, Harm found Mac laying with her back to him. He groaned slightly; it'd been a dream. Groaning again, he flipped onto his back, hoping to save himself from any embarrassment if she were awake. Not that it should matter. He was a man after all and she was a desirable woman. Still, what if it repulsed or disgusted her? Harm was sure he'd never live it down. He turned his head slightly, enough to watch over her sleeping form. Being so close to her was killing him. Sure, they kissed just a few days ago, but what was it really? Just a friendly kiss? A kiss between two people heading into a very dangerous territory? He wish he had the guts to just lay his heart on the line, but he wasn't too sure she wouldn't trample it. For that matter, he couldn't be certain that he wouldn't hurt her. His track record with women had been less than spectacular. And if they did make it, if it was written in the stars as he hoped it was, would she be taken away from him? Would she suffer the same fate as those he'd opened his heart to? He couldn't bare that thought. Harm had barely made it through Jym and Diane's deaths and was sure that losing Mac would be the end for him. Quickly, he maneuvered himself out of the bag, he had to get away from her, at least for a few minutes to clear his head. After slipping on his boots, he headed into the trees.

Mac wasawake, though. She had heard a moan, then felt his arm pulling her closer to his body. It was then that she felt him against her lower back, making her catch her breath. He wanted her. True, he was a man and having slept next to a woman all night had to have some _reaction_, especially since said man had been locked up for months without a female companion. Part of her kept doubting their delicate relationship, tossing aside the notion that he loved her and keeping the one that he only desired her. Fundamentally, it made sense; they were both attractive people with a healthy sexual appetite. And that was fine, they were only human. What wasn't fine, however, was the thought of them having a one night stand, or worse, it being so awkward that the weight of it all would finally snap their lifeline. It was that which held them both back from anything more. The fear of losing a friend. But, they weren't just friends, were they? No, and he'd even confirmed that. She felt his eyes on her, something that made her feel safe. What was he thinking about as he stared at her? Was he doubting things just like she was? Or was he coming to his senses? For that matter, why hadn't she come to her senses? Mac felt him shift and move out of the bag. Instantly, she missed him; his presence, his warmth, all of him. Sighing, she rolled onto her back.

The sun was beginning to rise behind them, it was time to head out, get this crazy thing over and done with and head on home. Rummaging through her pack, she pulled out two packs of instant coffee and oatmeal. Mac placed them inside the MRE warming pouches then set them upright against a rock as she headed into the trees to do her necessities.

"It's not eggs and bacon, but the oatmeal isn't all that bad." Harm stated with a grin. When she returned, he'd had the camp nearly picked up. He'd even started warmed and prepared the coffee as much as possible to her liking. "Gotta say, these MRE kits have gotten better."

Mac nodded and took her coffee from him. "Yep, but the coffee needs to be stronger." She grimaced a the dark liquid and downed it in a matter of moments.

"Caffeine is caffeine. . .at least it's better than Tiner's. . Remember?"

Oh, she remembered, especially the day Mac found that Tiner hadn't quite realized filters were a necessity. "How don't you know that to brew coffee you need a filter?"

"Not a clue, but between the Admiral, Tiner and you, it's a miracle my kidney's still working. . . I'm not entirely sure who's was stronger." He chuckled. "But nothing was worse than that soy watchamacallit coffee you brought as bribery when you though I had tickets to the Super Bowl game."

"Uh huh, you do know that Sturgis and I are still contemplating where to hide your body after we skin you?" She gave him a pointed glare. Both she and Sturgis had nearly bent over backwards, believing that Harm had tickets to the super bowl when he and Skates were flying cover in an F-14.

"It was a nice picture though." He'd taken a picture of the superdome as they flew over it upside down. "And you can't be angry with me. Neither you nor Sturgis could handle going supersonic. Hell, I can't even _get_ Sturg to go in 'Sarah'."

"Ah, but, you forget I can fly now." With a grin, she raised a finger up.

He rolled his eyes playfully. "Gonna have to take extra insurance out on 'Sarah', won't I?"

"Hey!" She gave him a good smack on the shoulder. "I did it for you, you know? I thought you'd be proud of me."

"I am, Sarah. . .I am."

And that look he was giving her was just making it difficult to stay even partially upset. With a huff, she took her MRE from him. "Yea, you'd better be, I was shaking like a leaf the first time I took her up alone."

"Well, next time, I'll teach you a few aerobatics."

Mac smiled at him. "I'd like that." True, she'd been scared to death to learn how to fly, especially a plane that had meant more to him than his precious Tomcat. If anything had happened to 'Sarah' she was sure it would kill him, which is why Mac took great care in learning to do everything properly. Now all they had to do was just get back home. "Eat up, flyboy, we have a lot of land to cover."

After finishing his breakfast, Harm covered up their campfire and removed any traces of their presence. They set out walking east, using the map and compass that he was carrying. "Truth or dare." About a half hour into the hike, the silence was starting to get to him. True, the terrain was a bit tricky, but that didn't mean they had to huff and puff without any type of conversation.

"What?" Mac stopped for a moment, and watched as he continued hiking.

Turning slightly, he noticed she'd stopped following. "What? What? Truth or dare." He gave her a sheepish look, then shrugged. "We haven't talked in like half an hour. . .The silence was irritating me."

Mac too, but she wasn't going to let him know that she'd been picking her own brain thinking about past circumstances and their inability to get passed them. "And you want to play truth or dare?"

Harm shrugged. "Well, yea. . . I mean we can't really do dares, but. . .C'mon Mac."

"Okay, no holes barred though." With a mischievous grin, she headed past him, throwing over her shoulder. "Gimme all ya got, Hammer."

'How does she do that?' Harm thought, glancing at her figure as she made it through a heavy area of foliage. 'How does she have the ability to turn me into a bumbling idiot?' His mouth was agape, so much for having a little fun.

Mac peeked at him through the bushes. "You going to stand there all day?" And there was that grin again, the one that said she was trying to make him squirm. "And truth it is, Commander." She winked at him and started moving again.

Harm practically ran after her. "Okay. . . okay, let me think here." The terrain bettered and he was able to walk right next to her. There were tons of things he wanted to know about Mac. Something's a little less G-rated than others. So, he started off slow. "Do you think you'd been a paleontologist if you weren't a Marine?"

"Yes." She said quickly, then chuckled. "You know, I said no holes barred, I meant it."

"You think you could do better, MacKenzie?" He stopped for a moment, slipping a canteen out of his pouch.

Mac nodded. "Yep, and, don't forget, on this trip I'm Mrs. Elliott, Dave." Stopping as well, she took the compass from him, and made sure they were heading in the right direction. "I got a good one, how old were you when you lost your virginity?"

The second the question got out, he was choking on the water he'd tried to drink. Harm braced himself against a tree, wheezing as he tried to get his coughing under control. "Wow. . .some of the water came out my nose." He pinched his nose, then snorted a few times to get the residual water out.

"Uh, well, guess the truth or dare portion of this adventure is over." She patted him lightly on the back, then ran soothing circles. "You okay?"

Harm nodded. "Sixteen. . in. . . Laos."

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What about Laos?"

"When I uh. . . lost. . .Whatever, I was nearly sixteen. . .There was a girl, named Jym. I met her when I set out with a man named Stryker. . . I was trying to find my father. . .It sort of just happened." He swallowed a bit more water with a shrug.

Mac quickly did the math, then stared at him for a moment, noticing a hint of guilt in his eyes. "That's the girl who was shot by the boarder patrol?" He was surprised she even remembered and even more surprised he'd told her. When did he tell her anyway? "You told me when you and Sturgis were working on the Lieutenant Hien case. Remember?"

"Yea. . .I guess she was my first love. If you even know what love is at sixteen." He shrugged and placed the canteen back in his pack. Harm knew that was one of the many issues he wanted to discuss with her, but now wasn't the time. With a grin, he poked her side. "So how old were you went you were. . . uh. . . deflowered?"

There went her eyebrow again, followed by the most unladylike chuckle. She knew he was changing subjects, but that was fine. This whole truth or dare thing was supposed to be about riding stress and having fun. "Deflowered ? What are you writing; a romance novel?"

He set off again, pulling back one of the bushes so that she could pass through. "Yea, well. . . So?"

"Thank you." She curtsied then passed through. "Sixteen and the back of a car that Chris stole. . .It was uncomfortable and nearly turned me off to ever trying it again." She shrugged. "I thought I was in love, or at least a sixteen year old version of being in love. He was older, a bad boy. Dad hated him. . .It was everything I was looking for. . ." Harm frowned slightly. His first time had been nice, Jym had literally guided him on what to do, how to move, where to touch. But hearing Mac's experience, he couldn't help but feel remorse for her. The strangest thing was the contempt that he felt over a man he'd never met. They'd never really discussed much about Chris Ragle, passed the things that pertained to Mac's case, but he could tell she harbored some feelings for him. And that little tidbit had him enraged. It wasn't because he was jealous, though that was a huge part of it. But, it had to do with the way Chris seemed to have treated Mac. She sensed this tension radiating from him. It was time to keep things light. "Moving on to more amusing subjects, tell me something you did at the Academy. . .Stories of you Sturgis and Keeter keep floating around, but I want to hear it from you."

Harm chuckled, oh there were a lot of things the three of them did. From stupid pranks like gluing teacher's materials to their desks to the time they'd told the plebes that an initiation to the Academy required them to do a lap around the quad, at night, completely naked. "Well. . .There were this group of middies, who got on everyone's nerves. . .You know? The guys who's whole entire family tree wound up in the Academy, so they figure they don't have to do much? Well, they started picking on Sturgis for being a preacher's kid and we decided to let them have it. . . Sturgis, Keeter and I went off and bought as many crickets as possible. . . I'm talking like at least two hundred of them, which we let loose in their rooms."

Immediately, Mac started to chuckle. "Let me guess what they'd do at night. . ."

"Oh yea, they didn't sleep for about a week. . . I think if you head to their rooms you might still find one or two in there." He chuckled. "Then there was the time we got dared to run down the girl's dorm completely naked."

Mac stared up at him. "Did you?"

"Ooooh yea, and then spent a month working kitchen detail along with the other guys on our floor since non of us would own up to doing it."

"Well, I've done my own pranks, remember Juanita Ressler?"

If Harm recalled correctly she'd been Mac's former law professor, one who'd kindly suggested that Mac should have become a lap dancer instead of a lawyer. "Kinda hard to forget her after that lap dancer comment." 'Although,' He thought with a wicked smile, but decided to censor his own thoughts.

Mac ignored that bit. "One of the girls in my class and I had become friends. Professor Ressler also had problems with her. . .So we decided to pull a few high school pranks. . . Like the powder of chalk inside the slides she would pull down. My friend was pretty good with computers, so she hacked into the school's mainframe and changed all the course schedules for the day. She ended up having to walk the whole school only to find that her class was canceled that day."

Harm chuckled. "You were bad, Mac."

"Oh, I was worse, until Uncle Matt straightened me out. . .I got pretty good at stealing cars." That girl seemed so far away from the woman that Mac had become. Funny how a trouble maker could turn into such a straight shooter.

"It's past. . .You aren't her anymore." Harm glanced down at Mac and smiled. "Hey did I ever tell you about the time we spiked Keeter's orange juice?" He said, as they continued their, now pleasant, hike through the woods.

1610 Zulu  
Bethesda Naval Hospital ICU  
Bethesda, Maryland

"I'm sorry, sir, only those authorized are allowed to visit Mr. Webb." There was a Marine standing at the door to Webb's suite at Bethesda. One very large and intimidating Marine. "I would need to see your pass or have your name in this chart."

Raymond Levine glanced up at the Marine. "I am the Deputy Director of the CIA. . . And he is one of my operatives, I believe I have clearance."

But, the Marine didn't waver. "I am sorry, sir. . . my assignment is clear."

"I'll have your chevrons for this, Corporal." Turning around, he began trying to formulize another plan to get into Webb's room. It should have been simple, an in and out sort of thing, but they were guarding him better than the president. All over the hospital, they'd been told to be on the watch for anyone suspicious. A pair of Marines stood watch at the entry way to the ICU. Another stood by the nurses station and finally the one at Webb's door. He fingered the silver case in his pocket. All he had to do was inject the contents into the IV and Webb would rest in peace.

"Raymond? Raymond Levine is that you?" That voice, he knew that voice. Turning around he found Mrs. Porter Webb heading in his direction.

_Damn._ "Mrs. Webb. . .It's good to see you. . .I am very sorry about Clayton, all of us at the agency are pulling for him." He plastered on a fake look of remorse and attempted to comfort her.

"I always live with a fear of something like this happening. . .No matter how old they are, they are still your baby." She sniffled, using a tissue to wipe away tears. "Tell me, Raymond. . .What happened? What went wrong?"

All chances of escaping came crashing down as she pulled him over to the ICU waiting area. His hand came slowly out of his pocket and out to grasp one of her hands. "It's classified, but I know you do have clearance. . ." He glanced around for wandering eyes, then leaned in. "Did you know a Harmon Rabb?"

"Rabb? Why yes, he was a friend of Clayton's and a Commander in the Navy." Porter had always liked Harm, there was something about the Commander that she'd always found admirable. He was one of the few that seemed to care when Webb faked his death the first time. "His partner dated Clayton for sometime." Now Mac was someone she wasn't to fond of. Which was the reason why they'd never met until his second death. Frankly speaking, she'd expected nothing but the best for her son and a woman that was military simply wasn't it.

Ray was surprised that she'd so openly refer to her son's private life, but thought nothing of it. "Well, the Commander seems to have been involved in treasonous affairs. . . There's no easy way to say this, but, we believe he was the one that injured your son."

Great, now he had another story to fabricate for his needs. Which, was fine, there weren't too many people that knew what he was up to in regards to Rabb. The people that did would remain quite if they knew what was good for them.

Porter stared at the man as if he'd grown two heads. True, she wasn't all that familiar with Harm, but, he'd saved her son three times as she recalled. Men like that didn't turn. "Treason? Raymond, dear, are you sure about this? Clayton says otherwise."

His face remained a void of emotion. "Quite, Mrs. Webb. The Commander made it look like someone else shot your son, when it was him. I assure you, there are no doubts." Ray discussed the whole case to her, leaving out how they were trying to have Webb killed for breaking protocol. Instead, he made Harm to be the bad guy, the one who tricked Webb then tried to kill him. Porter sat there, confused as what to believe, the Commander wasn't the type to do things like that and she had to admit, her son had been slightly out of it when they spoke. "So, you see, it's a miracle that Clayton is alive. . .In fact, we need to have some of our men here to protect him as well."

Porter waved him off. "That won't be necessary, in fact, as soon as he comes out of this, and I have no doubt in my son's strength, I am taking him home to recover."

"Is this because of the past? Why don't you like me Mrs. Webb?"

She was inclined to laugh in his face. But, maintained her good mangers. Did he really think she was that stupid? Ray Levine was a fool if he didn't think anyone knew what he was up to. Clayton Webb may have bought into the lies, but Porter new better, the Levine's had a very tainted history within the agency and she wouldn't trust any of them as far as she could throw them. "To be honest, Raymond, yes, it's because of the past." She was referring to a training mishap that had happened nearly 8 years ago, when Webb was being trained for field duty in Columbia. In fact, as Clay put it, if Harm and Mac wouldn't have been there, he'd have been a goner. "Socially, our families have never gotten along, and while that isn't tragic, we've set our personal feelings aside during business hours. However, I don't think you've afforded that same treatment for my son."

"I was his trainer, Mrs. Webb, not a friend. . . I was supposed to test him."

Porter grinned, an evil looking grin that was making Ray shiver. "Yes, a trainer and I can't seem to put a finger on how a mediocre trainer, such as yourself, has made it to be the Assistant Deputy Director." She placed a hand on his arm and chuckled. "You must be the luckiest Levine in the agency. . .everyone else has either bowed out or is pushing a desk at Langley."

He chuckled, without any reason to. Raymond Levine had the sudden need to snap that woman's neck in two. Sure, his family wasn't the best, they weren't Webb's, but they had a right to be in the agency. "Actually, ma'am, I am now the Deputy Director. Mr. Kershaw suffered a terrible accident and has passed away. I was informed I'd be heading the agency from now on." His voice was dripping with something that resembled true emotion, but his eyes were devoid of it.

"That's terrible." Porter said, biting back the spite she was dying to set free. Clay had suggested that he didn't think Levine was involved, but she knew the family way too well, non of them were to be trusted. But her son, unfortunately, thought of Ray Levine to be some sort of God. "Well, if you don't mind Raymond, I prefer to be alone at the moment. . .I'll contact you once Clayton wakes up, you might want to apologize for sending him out on some half-baked scheme."

Ray smiled at her. "I am not sure I follow? Half-baked scheme?"

"Goodbye, Raymond." Standing, she left Ray sitting there alone, a Marine guard glaring at the man. He stared up at the Marine, then looked around. Suddenly Ray Levine felt like he was standing on quicksand.

Sorry for the lack of "Conversation" as Xblue put it during the last chapter. I posted very late and was very tired. ;)

Moonlight – my e-mail radiorox(at)bellsouth(dot)net, but you can find out just about anywhere. Even Yahoo! Had a thing on it.

Froggy – Hehehe, they were going to smooch, but then smooching in such close confines would lead to something else and, that something else will come up in another body heat section.

Xblue – We still WILL have conversations, I just took a slight hiatus from them! Jeez! Excuse me for being tired. Oh the bad guys are gonna get theirs, cos I added to extra bad folk to this story, but they won't last more than a chappie. ;) Calix – What up dood! – Oh petition, there is an online petition somewhere about getting the DVD out. T he petition has been out for a few years, I think it has like 1000 + signatures and nothing has come from it. Maybe if we chained ourselves outside of the Paramount building and hum the JAG theme over and over? Could work!

Jtb – It's going to be back and forth for a while, simply because the tension/stress of what they are doing. I don't expect them to just fall into eachother and poof! It will happen and soon! I promise :)

Joanoa – Shippery will come, at the moment, I am working on them talking without even realizing that they are. Notice they've been untabling things? Which leads me to ask. . .couldn't they have written something like that in the show? Occasional moments when things come out and they talk about it without biting eachothers heads off?

Mjag – LOL! Adventures in camping, I like that. . . would be a good series of vignettes where everything in the camping world goes wrogn with Harm and Mac and co.

Tina – LOL! Your computer isn't the only one possessed, mine is not only possessed but it chooses to allow every bug in the planet to sneak on in. So much for a firewall and virus protector. :P

NK – They would SOOO rock on Wisteria Lane. One could dream. I've thought about writing it where Harm and Mac go undercover to Wisteria Lane for something. Course they see Rex/Clay and are like WOAH! Mac would be all pissed off at him even more because he lied to her and had a wife on the side, which is why he was never around. Works huh? ;) – Helfman is the female Navy Judge, the blonde? Played by Jennifer Savidge – She's the one in "Lifeline" and a bunch of others.

Body heat fans – there will be more Body heat in the up and coming chapters. ;) But, as with the actual show, it can't be Harm and Mac all the time cos I wrote in people that we need to know what they are up to. Like kind Mr. Levine. And fun Maj Steele. ;)


	6. What Are The Odds?

Hehe, you guys are fun, really. I've had all sorts of funky reviews. LOL! Thanks so much for your words, good and bad. .. though I appreciate the good ones more. ;)

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

**PS: My name was GuitarVixen on ffnet, I changed it to Radiorox seeing as it's a name I had for a while. Not sure what the point of GuitarVixen was. Just wanted you doods to know that you have't gone crazy. ;)**

PART 6 - What Are the Odds?  
0120 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

"That's it, we're lost!" Mac stated, yanking the map away from Harm and attempting to study it. They'd spent the better part of the day literally going in circles. Maybe their whole "truth or dare" thing wasn't a good idea. She was sure, that due to their chit chat, he'd missed something. "If I see that rock one more time, I am going to scream." They'd passed it at least four times.

Harm settled himself up against a tree, took out his pills and the canteen. "Well, Little Miss Know It All, see if you can make heads or tails of that thing."

"I would be able to if _someone_ didn't drop the damned map in a stream." It was always amusing how nice moments between the two of them could be shattered in a matter of minutes. This time though, she wasn't blaming him just because. When crossing a stream, she'd suggested that he put the tattered map in a plastic bag inside the pack. He didn't. While crossing, Harm slipped on a slick rock and in went the map. Now, they could barely tell where they were going as some of the ink had run, causing one big mess. "Why couldn't you, _just_ _once_ listen to me? I told you to stow it, but noooooo, you hang on to this damned thing as if it were a lifeline." She waved the map in front of his face.

"It is alright!" He yelled at her, then yanked the paper out of her hands. Mac wouldn't understand that, to him, that map was something more than just a piece of paper. It was given to him by the woman that saved him. A woman that he was sure was probably dead as a result. It needed to be with him until the end, because he wanted to bury the last reminder of his ordeal in the very place it had occurred. "I don't expect you to understand. . .I just. .needed to have it in my hands, okay."

Mac took a breath and propped herself up on the rock that she was starting to hate. She took our her own canteen and took a long gulp. "What now, then?"

"I don't know." His voice was hard, irritated. On top of the whole map thing, there was another problem. The compass had been giving them a wrong reading due to the iron-rich rock they were standing on. True, they could use the sun to at least figure out which way was east, but the way Creswell and Chegwidden had mapped out a trail required a precise coordinate, or the closest thing to it.

Deep breaths weren't cutting it anymore. At the moment, Mac wanted nothing more than to run around screaming until she collapsed from exhaustion. Couldn't things, for once, go easy for them? Murphy and his stupid law did seem to have it in for them. Harm's fatigue didn't help either. Though he'd been taking the anti-opiate and vitamins, his body was starved for rest. True, they usually made it out, but she didn't want their snipping to turn into another Paraguay. "Look, I'm sorry for snapping."

Harm looked up at her and nodded. "Yea, me too. . .Look, we'll . . ." His words of reassurance were cut short when a gunshot echoed in the area.

Almost immediately, both of them sprung up and reached into their packs for their weapons. Mac followed Harm through the trees, stopping behind a fallen timber. "Did you catch where it came from?" She whispered, her eyes surveying the land as best she could. Within the last few minutes that they stood there arguing, the wind began to pick up. The air had a strong smell of atmosphere, it was going to pour.

Harm squinted. "Nope, but let's try going down this hill, maybe we can get a better look."

Slowly, the pair headed downwards, stopping ever so often to take cover behind trees or rocks just in case the gunshots came from unfriendlies. They weren't going to take any chances. "What are the odds of us running into deranged hillbillies again?"

Harm chuckled softly. "I'd say slim to. . ." He paused when he noted a man wearing flannel and carrying a shot gun and some sort of dead animal, stepping into some sort of shack. "Okay. . . but that doesn't mean that he's deranged. . ." He took out a pair of binoculars, noting that the man appeared to be alone. "Look, I say we go down there and tell him we're lost."

"Uh huh, because that worked so well last time?" It was a miracle that they'd made it out with minimal injuries. Well not so minimal, Mac did have a bullet stuck in her thigh and both of them had been suffering from exhaustion. She had to admit, the three days they'd remained in the hospital had been fun. Feeling guilty over putting her in a dangerous situation, Harm had faked feeling sick in order to stay by her side.

"Do you always have to be so negative?"

"No, I just happen to know that you and I get in trouble A LOT, so I am shooting for the realistic approach."

"C'mon, Mac. . .if anything we have our weapons." He tapped his pistol, confident that nothing was going to happen so long as they kept their covers. "We can be _lost_ topographical analysts." He added with a grin.

Mac sighed deeply. She took the binoculars from Harm and looked down to find the man building a fire. He seemed to be completely obvious to the two pairs of eyes glancing down at him. "Fiiiiine! But, if you get shot, I am _not_ carrying your six off of this mountain. . . And don't forget we don't have 'Sarah' this time."

Harm stared down at the man, thoughts of him and Mac hiding from the poachers came to mind. They'd barely made it out; he didn't want that happening again. The fear he felt at not keeping his promise, of not getting her out, started to overwhelm him. "You know? I'm not liking this. . Let's get out of here. . .quietly."

The sound of a rifle being cocked halted their movements. "How about you stay?"

The two of them turned around slowly to find a woman, possibly in her late thirties standing there aiming a rather large shot gun at Harm. "Your pistols. . .toss 'em over." She requested, in an accent that sounded slightly mid eastern, but was difficult to place. When the pair did as told, she bent down and picked up one pistol, tucking it into her belt, then did the same with the other. "Hands behind your heads. ." She motioned with the barrel of the gun to the area they should headed to.

Harm let Mac move in ahead of him, his eyes remaining on her as he wished they could communicate telepathically. Not that he had too much to say at the moment. The woman walked them off of the hill and down towards the shack. The smell of rot was overwhelming, causing both Harm and Mac to gag slightly.

"Pete. . .Where the hell did you go?" The woman motioned for Harm and Mac to get on their knees, a task that wasn't too easy when each of them was still wearing a pack. She glanced around the area, and took one quick look into the shack. "Get out here, we got company."

Pete stepped out, his shirt covered with blood as was a knife that he was using to skin the animal he had killed. Neither of the two looked too bad for being mountain people. Their clothing, save for the blood on Pete's shirt, were clean so were their hair and fingernails. Even the weapons seemed to be well kept. He gave a smile to Harm and settled his gaze on Mac. Languidly, he stared at her up and down, undressing her with is eyes, an action that repulsed Mac. "Well. . .Well. . .Who do we have here?"

"We mean you no harm. My name is David and this is my wife Cathy. . .We're scientists." Harm said, not really buying that statement himself. Maybe if it didn't sound so rehearsed?

Mac nodded. "Yes, we are surveying the land. . .It's what we do, topographical analyzing." She did a bit better, but neither of them had a clue exactly what their guises' jobs entailed.

Pete's accent was clearly European. "Marcy, I do believe we have us a set of Yanks." Taking a rag from his back pocket, he proceeded to clean the blood off of his hands and knife. "Question is, what are we going to do with them?"

Harm gulped, attempting to look more out of ease with the situation than he really was. Oh sure, he was worried, but it wasn't time to panic yet. "Look, we were just hiking, if you can let us be on our way. . ."

"Hiking with pistols, eh?" Marcy noted

"Yes, Dave and I do this a lot." Mac said. "One time a wild animal attacked and nearly took Dave's life. Since then, we decided to bring protection." It seemed like a viable excuse. She'd believe it herself.

Cautiously Harm stood up, keeping his hands behind his head. "We'll be out of your hair in no time, really. . .We don't want any trouble."

"Well I say you two should stick around. . . _Dave._" Pete stepped up closer to Harm. He ran the knife playfully down Harm's midsection then grinned. "Especially _Cathy _over here. . .I don't get a chance to see such pretty ladies."

Mac resisted the urge to groan, the way he was looking at her was repulsive. "What about Marcy here? Wouldn't she be jealous?"

Marcy laughed, which ended up sounding more like a cackle. "Not at all. . . Don't want Pete here to get bored."

Suddenly Mac had an overwhelming urge to find Murphy and let him know where he could stick his law. Not only did they have to worry about Temir and his men, now they had deranged hillbillies on their hands. One of which seemed like he hadn't seen a woman in years. She almost wished he'd try something on her, if the gun hadn't been trained towards her, he'd get a taste of a Marine's wrath. "Please, we have money. . .We'll hand it all over if you let us go."

"Hmmm. . . as tempting as that all sounds, we can't do that." Pete grinned at Harm then ran his eyes over Mac again. "And you can cut the whole Dave and Cathy bullshit, I know who you really are."

"Yea who's that?" Harm asked, angrily tightening his jaw. This just wasn't getting any better.

"You're that Naval Commander that Mr. Temir is looking for. . . we were told to look out for you." Marcy said and they could swear they saw dollar signs in her eyes.

Mac stood slowly and stepped to Harm's side as Pete came close to her. "What's your real name?" He tried to intimidate her and when he noticed it wasn't working, he pulled his knife up. "Huh? C'mon beautiful. . .Who are you?" He traced the knife over her throat, then downward, popping a few of the buttons on her shirt scratching her slightly in between the valley her breasts. Mac's breathing hitched ever so slightly, the stoic Marine would not scream.

"Son of a bitch!" But even the slight hitch alerted Harm that Pete had injured _his_ Marine. He launched himself at Pete, aiming for the knife which fell somewhere between them. His reflexes still needed some work, as a second later, said knife was pointed at his throat, biting into his skin.

"Give me a reason, just a reason to slit your throat, Commander."

"You can't kill me, he needs me." Harm knew that to be the truth, or at least he hoped he was still valuable to Temir. The terrorist needed someone with his knowledge of the planes to get them moving. Hopefully, unlike the CIA, Temir would like him alive. "Temir needs me."

Pete nodded. "Yes, he does. . .but he doesn't need her." He motioned towards Mac who wisely didn't move as Marcy still had her shot gun trained on the Marine. "Marcy, take her down to the lake. . .I'll be there in a few minutes."

Harm shook his head. "No, don't hurt her. Please."

"Don't worry about it, Commander. . .I just want to have a little fun." It was the saccharine sweetness of his voice that had Harm nearly throwing up. He knew what Pete was going to do to Mac and he had to stop it. "She is lovely, isn't she?" He said, pointing towards Mac, who was being led through the forest by Marcy.

"You aren't accomplishing anything by hurting her." Harm said. "Besides, leaving her alone with Marcy is a _bad_ idea. . . Mac's a Marine. . .and she is just waiting for a moment to strike."

Pete chuckled. "Oooh a feisty Marine, huh? Well, then being with this _Mac_, will be even more enjoyable for me. There's nothing better than a woman that squirms." He grabbed the pack from Harm and heaved it to the ground. Pulling a rope from the back of his pocket he worked on some special knot, then tied Harm up. It was strung from his neck, down his torso and to his hands which were now behind his back. The rope was tied in such a way that the more Harm moved, the tighter the knot would get. "I'll tell you what, Commander. . .If you can get out of your bindings, then you can save your friend." He jammed the knife into the ground, just inches away from Harm. "Go ahead, give it a try."

Harm made to move forward, but once he did, he felt the rope tighten, threatening to rip his arm out of its socket. Groaning, he tried again, but the knots became even tighter. "You sick bastard."

The madman in front of him couldn't agree more. "Ah, so I am. . . so I am. . . Now, excuse me, I need to clean up a bit for your friend." He headed into the shack and disappeared.

"Take your pack off." Marcy stripped the pack off of Mac and tossed it to the ground.

It had taken a little less than two minutes for Mac and the Marcy to arrive at the lake. By then, the darkness began to set and she could feel the coolness coming off of the water. "Look, Peter. . . he needs help Marcy. . . we can get him help." She'd remained silent, but now it was time to try again. "Let us help him."

Marcy lifted the rifle up and clocked Mac on the face, the force sending the Marine to the ground. "You can't buy us, princess. . .So just lay there and shut up."

Mac rubbed her cheek where the but of the rifle had hit. Thankfully, the force wasn't that strong, thankfully she was still conscious. "Marcy, please. . .Just listen to me. . .No money is worth taking a life . . .No matter what Temir has told you. . .Nothing is worth that." Thunder echoed in the distance as the drops of rain began to fall around them. She noticed that Marcy seemed to be thinking over her words. Or, at least she hoped that she'd gotten to the woman, though that wasn't her most impassioned plea. "Please, set me free, get Pete to let Harm go."

"You know? That's enough out of you." The words were falling on deaf ears. Further more, those deaf ears saw nothing but money and their mission was clear: bring the Commander to Temir and kill anyone else that was with him. "You need to shut up." She clocked Mac over the head, this time managing to slightly incapacitate the Colonel. It was enough for Marcy to drag the woman into the lake without a struggle. She grabbed Mac by her hair and shoved her head into the cold water.

Mac was semi-conscious as Marcy dragged her into the lake. But the moment the cold liquid penetrated her clothing, she snapped back to life. Unfortunately for her, the first breath she took was when her head was partially under water. Though she was trying not to fight the need to gasp for air, her brain was relaying a different type of information. Thankfully, as she was about to take in a gulp of water, her head was pulled up. She took in several deep breaths, coughing up the water she'd previously inhaled. "Please. . . don't . . . do this." She coughed out, which was probably the worst thing she could do.

Harm kept struggling against his restraints, each time only managing to cause more pain on himself. His fingers were now just mere centimeters away from the knife, but he still couldn't seem to reach it. Pete stepped out of the shack, his bloody clothes changed for cleaner ones. He smiled at Harm. "I'll see you in fifteen minutes. . . shouldn't take more than that."

Helplessly he watched as Pete headed into the trees. "No! Please!" But he knew that any protests would fall on uncaring ears. His mind played in vivid detail what he knew the mountain mad was going to do to Mac. _His _Mac. _His_ Marine. He had to stop it, even if it meant destroying his arm to do it. He took and held a breath, then reached downwards again, this time managing to grab the knife as his arm nearly ripped from its socket. "Yes!" Quickly, he worked on the ropes, slicing the one that ran from his neck down, and effectively loosening the knots. With the force of a caged animal, he sprinted after Pete. "You're not going to touch her!" He yelled, then slammed his body into the man. The knife fell to the ground, sliding a few feet from the two as they wrestled for control.

"You like this don't you?" The woman dunked Mac's head into the lake, holding the Marine's head underwater, the struggling was now becoming less fitful. Then, she raised Mac back up by the hair and grinned malevolently. "You have to stop resisting, princess."

With what little strength she had left, Mac coughed up the water. It was already burning her throat and lungs. "I'm a Marine. . . you can torture me all . . you want, but I am not going . . to concede . . to anything you plan . . . to do to me."

"You talk to much. . . Now breathe in." Marcy didn't even afford Mac the time to take a breath. Her hand firmly held the Marine under the water. "Stop struggling, you are only making it worse." And it had gotten worse. This time the Marine seemed to have summoned some strength. Mac tried tackling the woman, but missed and ended up falling at the bank of the lake. "You'll pay for that." Marcy belted Mac over the head with the butt of the shot gun, rendering the Marine completely unconscious. As she was about to leave and see what had taken Pete so long, she'd heard what appeared to be men fighting in the woods. If neither of them played by the rules, she wasn't going to either. "Have a good swim." Marcy cooed, after placing the Marine's unconscious body, face first into the cold lake.

Harm was on top of Pete, holding the knife just an inch away from his heart. The fight had taken all of his strength, but he was using whatever he had in reserve. "Die. . ." He grunted, trying to find the force needed to stab the man. But, Pete was stronger than him and managed to move the knife away from him, turning it towards Harm. It was then that Marcy ran up to them and that moment of surprise was what he needed. The knife came down on Pete, slamming into his gut.

"You son of a bitch! Marcy took aim at Harm and pulled the trigger.

Nothing. For some reason, the shotgun was empty. Harm stood up quickly, swaying slightly. The equilibrium came to him slowly, maybe a bit too slowly, because a moment later, he was laying flat on his back with _his_ pistol pointed at him. With his legs he swept at Marcy's feet, sending her to the ground. He was stronger, though not by much as the exhaustion from all of this ordeal was starting to become too much to bare. "Don't make. . .me . . kill you." He said through gritted teeth as they wrestled for the gun. One shot went off, sailing through the air and hitting a tree.

Marcy chuckled. "You should give up. . .Commander. . .Maybe. . . then you . . .could save her."

Harm was tempted to take the bait, but he knew better. First he had to get the weapon. Another shot went off between them and he felt just as he did when he'd fought with Alex Hendricks in the woods of Virginia. He closed his eyes, hoping to God the bullet didn't pierce him and was surprised to see that it hadn't. Moving himself off of Marcy, he took the gun and aimed it at the woman. The bullet and gone through her chest, but she was still alive. It was then that he realized Mac was no where to be found. "Where's Mac?"

Blood dripped out of Marcy's mouth as she made to speak. Her words came out in gurgles. "Drowned. . .Dead."

That's when he felt it. The pang in his heart so overwhelmingly frightening. Mac was hurt. . .no, worse, she was dying. Something, he couldn't tell you what it was, led him towards her; his legs threatened to give way as he ran to the lake. From the bank, he saw Mac's body floating middle and without hesitation he dove right in. The water was cold due to mountain run off. It felt like pins and needles all over his body, still he kicked hard, moving stroke after stroke until he reached her. "Mac? . . .Oh God." She was floating with her head in the water. Quickly, he turned her over and made for the bank. The repeated flashes of lightening allowed him to see her features clearly. It was raining now harder than it had been. Her face was ashen, lips appeared to be blue. He searched for a pulse, but found non and immediately panic set in. "No! This can't be happening!" Harm's hands found the section just under her breastbone and began starting compressions. After pressing down on her chest five times, he pinched her nose and breathed into her mouth.

As he administered CPR, he couldn't help the tears that were burning in his eyes. This couldn't be happening. He breathed into her again, to no avail. As the rain poured down, a million thoughts were going through his head. He recalled a similar situation on the Watertown when a deranged corpsman had choked Mac. He'd gotten her to breathe then, why wasn't it working now? "Please, Sarah. . . PLEASE breathe!" He knew the answer: time. Back on the Watertown he'd gotten to her seconds after it happened. At this time, he didn't know how long she'd been floating in the water.

Minutes passed by, but they felt like hours. Long, agonizing, painful hours where his efforts seemed to be all for naught. The rain pounded down hard on them, each drop feeling like a pinprick. Still, Harm continued breathing life into Mac, refusing to give up. "Damnit, you're stronger than this. . .LIVE Damnit! Live!" As he started compressions again, an overwhelming feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. She wasn't going to make it.

"Mac please. . .I need you." He breathed into her again, then began the compressions all over. "Damnit, I love you too much to lose you. . . Please breathe!" Hot tears washed down his cheeks and over her still beautiful face.

Each compression, each breath was leeching energy out of his body; energy that was already in such short supply. He was wet, cold and battered by the wind and rain making the temptation to stop difficult to ignore. But he wouldn't quit, unless he passed out from exertion. By now, the tears had become full out sobs that wracked his body, shaking him with a vengeance. Harm had never cried so hard in his life. His mind was spinning, a zillion images played like some B rate movie in his mind with a grainy quality that distorted the pictures. Love, loss, love, loss; it was the endless cycle and now, it appeared that time had finally stopped. It was over. _They _were over.

He ran his hand gently down her face, gasping as how cold her body was. Is this what their relationship had come to? Was this his punishment for all the times he'd hurt her? As he cried over her still body he couldn't help but think back to Christmas and the realization that they would stop their push and pull. He wanted to tell her then the feelings he'd had deep inside, but he decided to wait until the New Year. A brand new year and they would start off with a brand new relationship, one where, they were hopefully honest about their feelings. No more games, no more running away.

His fingers touched her lips, those which he'd long to kiss passionately only to have them return that kiss. Her eyes were closed and for a brief moment a flash to Diane laying dead on a gurney at Norfolk flashed through his mind. He'd long since stopped thinking of her. He'd definitely stopped comparing Diane to Mac because there were no comparisons. Harm had locked his heart away from the Marine, keeping it away from where it would get broken because he couldn't fear losing someone he cared for again. Still, for all of efforts, he'd lost her several times: Brumby, Webb, Dalton, the Guadalcanal, Paraguay, Corpsman Hodge. But, there was one thing, one key thing that came into his mind at that very moment, every time she was lost, she ended up coming to him. "I am not going to quit. . .neither are you MacKenzie." With grim determination, he started compressions again. ". . . SNAP TO MARINE!" He repeated the cycle once, twice, three times and on to the fourth, ignoring the numbness of his fingers. "Live!"

A lightening bolt illuminated the skies and it was then that Mac took a breath on her own. Water bubbled through her airwaves and out of her mouth. Quickly, Harm turned her to the side, patting her back to help her vomit the water. "That's it, Mac. . . At a girl!" He lay her flat on her back and made sure she was okay. Mac was breathing, and that was great news, but then came a surreal series of shivers. They would get no reprieve tonight. "Hypothermia. . . This is not good." His own body was shivering from the cold, but not like Mac's. He tried, unsuccessfully to get her talking; a new plan was needed. The shack was a viable idea, it would at least get them out of the rain, but there was nothing in there he could use to warm her up. Plus that putrid smell of rot was likely to cause both of them to be sick. But, that seemed to be the only option; it would have to do. "Body heat." He said out loud. Harm mustered whatever strength he had left into picking Mac off the ground. He held her tightly in his arms as he tried to get his bearings as to where the shack was located. A second later, it was almost as if God had answered his prayers. Another bolt of lightening illuminated the area and through the sheets of rain he could make out what appeared to be a cabin not too far away. "Thank God!"

Harm held Mac tightly to him, as he attempted to sprint across to the cabin. As he was getting closer, he felt his knee about to give out. Still, he pushed on, determined to not let Mac slip close to death again. It was becoming difficult holding her shivering body; his numbed fingers making the task that more tedious. Finally, in a mad dash, he raced up the steps to the cabin and kicked the door open. Stepping in, he was lucky to find the place empty with the fireplace lit, the flames casting a warm glow in the small cabin. He kicked the door closed and headed straight for the sofa which was situated near the fireplace.

After laying Mac's body on the sofa, he set off trying to find some blanket he could use to warm her body. Rummaging through a small closet, he found three, large wool blankets. One of the blankets he set on the floor, over a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. He threw in two fresh logs, then headed over to Mac. He removed her jacket, tossing it on the floor. Without hesitation, his fingers rapidly undid the buttons of her flannel shirt, which soon joined her jacket on the floor. Harm studied the cut on her chest, noting that it wasn't deep nor cause to really worry. Removing her boots and socks were not a problem, but he literally had to coax the wet denim off her body. After several unsuccessful attempts, Mac lay before him in Marine issued bra and underwear.

Harm took a deep breath and reached his hands behind her back, unclasping the bra. He pulled her body close to his as he draped one of the blankets over Mac. By then, his body was shivering harder, either from the cold or shock; he wasn't quite sure which. "Mac. . . you have to wake up. . .stay awake, sweetheart." His fingers pressed up against her throat, finding a pulse that was starting to weaken. "No. . .You can't do this to me." He guided her body to the ground, laying her on the blanket he'd placed on the floor near the fireplace. Reaching under the blankets, he ran his hands up her legs to her hips. His fingers tucked into the elastic of her underwear, which he pulled off and tossed with the rest of her wet clothing.

Though his body was cold, he knew his temperature hadn't dropped as low as hers. If they'd lay together under the blankets, maybe he'd be able to generate enough body heat to warm Mac and himself back up. Without a moment's hesitation, he unceremoniously peeled off all of his own clothing, tossing them along with Mac's wet clothes.

Completely naked, he settled himself under the blanket with Mac, making sure that her body was closer to the fireplace than his own; he needed all of the help that he could get. His arms came around her, pulling her body closer to his. Harm tried friction, running his hands up and down her figure as fast as he could to generate heat. "C'mon Mac, stay with me." Her eyes kept opening, but they couldn't hold any type of focus. A moment later, they would close again until he coaxed her to wake up.

In all her life, never had Mac's body felt so strange. She had this deep need for sleep, but something kept waking her. Her bones felt frozen, so much that she was nearly certain they would break from any small show of force. There was someone talking, but Mac couldn't quite make out the words. Where was she anyway? Why was she so uncomfortable? As another hard shiver coursed through her body, she found herself seeking a warmth that she couldn't quite find.

Harm was fighting his own body's demand for rest. He was so tired; feeling as if he'd run a marathon with no end in sight. The muscles in his arms were hurting from trying to create some sort of warmth. He gave up when the muscles started locking up and instead reached down and captured her hands in his. He breathed into their joined palms, warming their hands. "Mac. . .hang in there, I am not going to lose you. . . Just hang in there." Even as he was using words of encouragement, his own body betrayed him. He felt himself falling into a sleep that he couldn't stop. His body was taking control and there was nothing he could to do stop it.

-

Foxy – Tests are baaaad. Tests no good! Yep yep! Body heat is a good thing! And if Mac doesn't want it, I'm there like a bear:D

LtJGMeg – Them aliens must have gotten to my laptop too. :P Is it time to bring out the lazer guns? You are too wound up with Webb. You need to get off of the hating Webb kick. Wait! What am I saying. . .HATE WEBB! Bastard screwed our S9 shipper dreams! ;P

Joanoa – Yea, I had a lot of people hoping. LOL! Me too, I was like "woah that is mean" when I was done. ;) Not to worry, you'll get what you want in chappie 7

NK – Would make a KICK ASS story to stick Harm and Mac in Wisteria lane in some mission. I am just not sure I can write it. But if anyone reading this wants to hook up and put it down, lemme know:D Mike getting shot sucks! I would crack up if DJE or CB wound up on Wisteria Lane. There are a lot of former JAG people in DH. Heheh

Xblue – I shall never "what up" Calix again. :bows: Calix, sir, how art thou? ;) As for Blue, any new stories! Hmmm! I cant write alone! My wrists hurt!

Cristina – Yea, Porter is a smart Chic, I take it that Clayton took from his dad's side of the family or something. :P He's sucha dork! No more truth or dare for now, but one never knows what I have up my sleeve. ;)

JTB – The weasel is a doooooooork. Maybe he was adopted? Hey Webbies, there's a story for you to write about – Webb is adopted and Mac helps him find the truth… God, help me, I just suggested to write about Webb and Mac. Okay, people. . .by:walks to the corner and bangs her head: Baaaaad Jackie. . .Baaaaaaaad Jackie!

DansingWolf – They'll have more interaction. Really good one too. ;) Some of the biblical kind even. ;)

Froggy – Streaking Harm! WHERE! WHERE? Oh, the story! Don't do that :P You got me going. But, yeaaaaaaaa. Ooooh Streaking Harm. :drools:

Harmfan – I think Porter has taste, but I don't think she'd ever have accepted Mac for Webb. I think one mention of her past and Porter would have done something to sabotage the relationship. Why oh why didn't THAT scenario happen in early season 9!


	7. When You Lie Next To Me

LOL! Okay hope everything is going good in our real life worlds. My body is confussed as to getting a cold or not. It's somewhere in limbo. :P

Thanks for all the support and comments on the story. This part you guys will like as well as the part after this one. And I suspect, around part 11 or 12. . I think it's 11, some people will be jumping for joy as one of our villians gets his or hers. Well, enough teasing, on with the show!

Enjoy!  
J.

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

PART 7 – When You Lie Next To Me  
"My heart is yours  
But every part of me still wants to give you more  
More time to love  
Cause you never know when life will leave us  
I wanna take in all the beauty here  
Let the world around us just disappear

When you lie next to me  
Breathin' the air I breathe  
We don't have to speak  
And just be  
Our love's a precious thing  
Don't wanna waste a day  
Or one more minute  
Without you in it  
Life if so sweet  
When you lie next to me"  
By: Kellie Coffey "When You Lie Next To Me"  
(AN: I am not a country music fan, but I do like this song, it's sweet!)

July 22, 2005  
0710 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

Warmth. All around her, Mac felt warmth. The warmth of skin against skin, the warmth of the fire behind them. Even in the depths of her soul, she felt warmth. The last conceivable memory that she had was that damned, cold, lake and some crazy woman intent on drowning her. Had she succeeded? Was she now in some sort of Heaven? Part of her was felt so safe, that it was almost easy to believe that God had snatched her away from two mad people. But what about Harm? What had happened to him? Was he alive? Was he tortured?

Or maybe. . .maybe that had been all a dream – a bad dream – that gave way to an even worse nightmare. Maybe Harm was still missing? The thought ran chills through her body. 'God no, please, no.' Mac thought as she forced her eyes to open and found the handsome face of Harmon Rabb Jr. He was fast asleep, holding her body as if she were his anchor which he used in order to not be swept away. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't Heaven, but damn near close to it.

She reached out and gently ran her hand over his stubbled cheek. Even in sleep Harm didn't seem to be at peace. She figured he never would until he step foot back in DC with the knowledge that this whole ordeal would be over. His body shivered slightly and it was then that she'd realized how they were laying together. Both of them were naked, something that she'd fantasized about, but not quite in this fashion. No, her fantasies, and they were numerous, usually had them laying together in a better pretense. And where were they anyway – a cabin?

Mac looked around, the place was completely unfamiliar to her, she didn't even know it was out there, neither did Harm if their bickering from before was any indication. Closing her eyes, Mac searched her memory files trying to bring up something that would allude her to what had gone on. There were a few hazy memories of a man telling her to live. And yet another memory of that man claiming his love for her, but it was nothing tangible. As she started getting her bearings, Mac felt a pain on the side of her face and another at the back of her head. That's right, Marcy had hit her.

Harm shivered again which was starting to be a cause for concern. Had he suffered some sort of shock? Lifting herself up slightly, she found that the blankets, though she was covered completely, weren't entirely covering him. His back and backside were exposed to the chill in the air. Mac tugged at the blankets, pulling to make sure that he was covered up. Slipping out of their makeshift bed, she made her way over to the logs and tossed three more into the fire that was starting to die down. Then she returned to him, snuggling herself as close as possible, laying her head against his chest.

A slow smile made its way across her face. This is where she wanted to be for the rest of her life. It didn't matter that Harm was sleeping, nor did it matter that she wasn't quite sure where they were or how they got there. No, what mattered was that they were together, cohabitating in the same space. Breathing the same air. Just being without the need for words or feelings that seemed to taint their strange relationship. Things would be perfect though, if she could just tell him. As much as she needed to hear the words, Mac knew he needed to hear them too.

Hearing his breathing change, she moved her head slightly to look up at him. Those brilliant blue green eyes locked into her own. He sighed deeply, almost as if he were ridding himself of the weight of the world. "Thank you, God." He whispered. "Thank you, God." Harm sighed again and turned his head to be able to really look at Mac. She was alive showing no signs that anything had gone wrong. That's when he saw the ugly mark on her cheek. He brought his hand out from under the blanket and gently placed it there. "Please tell me you are alright, Mac." Frowning, he lightly traced the bruise, if the mountainfolk hadn't already been dead, he'd have killed them.

Mac leaned her cheek into his palm and pressed his hand with her own. "I'm fine, Harm. . .Are you?"

His hands moved down her arms before Harm leaned in and pulled her to him for a tight hug. "I am now."

She was grateful to be in his arms again and have him hold her with such a force. "What exactly happened?"

Harm held on a bit longer, then lay back on the floor. What exactly happened? Hell broke lose, that is what had happened. "You went off with Marcy and Pete started taunting me about how he was going to . ." He couldn't bring himself to think it, much less say it. "He tied me in some odd knot and put a knife into the ground by my side. . . Every time I tried to reach for it, the rope tightened. I thought I was going to lose my arm." As he lay next to her, he could feel his muscles protesting, thankfully nothing was broken or put out of place. "He left me there and went after you, but I wouldn't let him touch you. . .I reached the knife, cut myself loose and ran after him. . .We fought, I killed him. . . Marcy came and I killed her two. . .She said you were dead, drowned." He took a breath and swallowed hard as his mind conjured up images of Mac floating in the water. "So I ran towards the lake. . .And it took forever to bring you back. . .I wanted to quit. . .I did quit. . .but then started again. . .I wouldn't have stopped either." Looking upwards, he chuckled slightly. "I think someone up there knew I wouldn't have stopped. . .Talk about second chances." Yes, talk about second chances. How many of them had they had? Too many and counting? "It was raining and it was cold and you were shivering. . . Maybe all of this. . ." He paused a moment to reference their nakedness. "Maybe all of this was a bit hasty but I wasn't about to risk hypothermia with you. . .What I mean to say is that. . ."

"Harm. . ." Hasty wasn't exactly the word she'd have used. In fact, Mac was rather enjoying this closeness. She'd always wondered how his flesh would feel against hers. Slowly, she leaned in capturing his lips with her own. She felt his body tense, but she'd at least stopped him from babbling as if he'd done something wrong. Noting that Harm still hadn't kissed her back, she pulled away with her eyes still closed. Mac was almost afraid to open them and find that everything that had gone on since he came back into her life was just a series of mixed signals. In this very position, having them both in such a vulnerable state, she wasn't too sure she'd be able to take the rejection. Summoning the nerve that had evaded her, she opened her eyes to find Harm staring back at her, his expression one of awe.

Words that previously were forming without much effort, had ceased to transpire. They no longer were needed nor wanted. Actions spoke volumes and if that kiss meant anything, it was that they both had to stop eluding this pull between them. It would always be there, tabling it still wouldn't make it go away. Harm felt it stronger now, more than he ever had. It took him being so close to losing her so many times for it to finally sink in. They needed each other, they always ended up with each other because they were meant to be together. He wasn't much into the whole romantic aspect of relationships, but he couldn't deny any longer that this thing with Mac and him was written in the stars. For all he knew, they were always meant to be together, their stubbornness only made it difficult for the fates to do their work. Or, maybe. . .maybe all of these hardships were needed so that two hard headed individuals would finally understand. It had worked because he finally understood it. Mac did too.

"Mac." There were so many things he needed to say to her, but his emotional flood gate was opened when she leaned forward and kissed him again. Her lips were warm and sweet; the kiss was lingering. But, when Mac made no attempt to deepen the kiss, he took that as being his mission. Harm kissed her back, slowly at first, only to break away any doubts when she met each of his kisses with one of her own. As he began feeling more confident, he ran his tongue alone the seam of her mouth, begging for acceptance which was granted.

The moment his tongue slipped passed her lips, Mac couldn't help the involuntary moan. God, she'd wanted this. . .no, she needed this in ways she couldn't fathom. They'd existed so long in each others worlds; how was it that it never came to this? She knew the answers, as did he. But the past seemed to cease and desist when she felt the weight of his body on her own. Their tongues mated and meshed, slowly, passionately and everything in the world seemed to stop save for the two souls longing for their first union.

He pulled away from her for a moment, just enough for him to search in her eyes and note that this was a mutual consent. Seeing that validation in her eyes, Harm couldn't prevent a lazy smile. He kissed her deeply again then trailed hot kisses from her mouth to her chin.

Mac leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She lay in wait for him to claim her, for them to be one. But, Harm stopped his musing. Her eyes opened and she glanced at him, seeing conflicting emotions of worry and passion. No, he couldn't stop now, she was sure she'd die of want. "What? What is it, Harm?"

His breathing was ragged, labored as if he'd just stop sprinting. "The endometriosis." Harm began, his voice hitching slightly. He'd feared this moment ever since he'd researched on her medical situation. The fact that he knew zero about this problem had him scouring the Internet for every piece of information he could find. Somewhere in his research he ran into several message boards where women had commented about sexual intimacy being painful and unpleasant. She'd had this problem for a while, Mac had confessed to him. While he was sure she'd ignore it for Clay's benefit and those rare times she'd been intimate with the spook, he wasn't willing to do the same. "I. . .I don't want to hurt you."

The way she was looking at him had Mac nearly in a panic. They couldn't have gone this far and have him hit all the brakes including the emergency one. But now, his worries melted her heart. If she'd ask it of him, he'd be willing to forgo this form of intimacy because he didn't want to hurt her. Mac blinked back a few tears as her arms and legs came around him, bringing Harm closer to her. "You won't hurt me."

But, he was steadfast. As much as he wanted this, as much as he needed this, Harm refused to budge unless he was completely certain. "If I do, you need to stop me. . . I can't hurt you, Mac. . . I won't hurt you."

"No, you won't hurt me." She threaded her fingers through the silk of his hair, brining his mouth onto hers. Mac kissed him slowly, reassuring that she wanted this just as much as he did. "I trust you. . .You won't hurt me."

Their union was felt even at the depths of their souls and while few words were exchanged, they both knew that this would be it. This was the homecoming they both craved so much. It was a consummation of something that should have started years ago. They lay together happily spent and sated. When Harm tried to move away from Mac, she wrapped her arms around him, holding on tightly. "No. . .I just. . .I want to stay like this. . . I just want to lie with you just like this. . .please."

Smiling softly, he kissed her soundly and held her to him. It would be a short time later, when the two separated, only to make love once again before falling asleep in each others arms.

-

Kristie – Sorry about stopping your concentration, I hope life can resume after this chappie. ;)

DansingWolf – Thanks for the kind words! I am not much of a mushy, sappy writer, I've tried writing really fluffy stuff and get nauseated. But, yea, I can write romance when I need to. Glad you appreciate it, I hope you liked the above part. :) Was one of my favorite parts to write thus far.

NinjaTurtle – Yep, body heat rocks ;) About the torture, they could be worse, you don't want to read the draft for "Something For the Pain" when Harm starts to explain what they did to him. It was worse. The whole point on my writing these two was to focus a lot on the nitty gritty stuff which people tend not to get to close to. And it isn't over yet, though it won't be nearly as bad. Dunno, I am a action flick chic. LOL! Without a bit of blood and gore I am not happy. Hmm, maybe I do need therapy ;)

Xblue – Why excuse the cursing? I curse worse than a sailor! I agree things are fucked up a lot. Unfortunately, TPTB are intent on giving us a HIP show with non of the core values that JAG was set up with. Am I happy? No? It's bullshit, I am just glad I've only been onboard since ATW 1 else I'd have shot myself. If it goes on, I MAY catch a few of the first episodes because I love CB, she rocks. I feel bad for DJE and for CB for that matter, if the show goes to an 11th and 12th, you know she'll be outted because she isn't young or hip enough. There are enough rumors floating around to make you nauseating. I am hoping for the best, totally expecting the worst and hope that DJE's ABC gig works out with flying colors and that anything else the current cast of JAG does, in the future, gives them lots of success so they can tell TPTB where the fuck to stick it. The end. ;) Calix – Excuse our ramblings dear sir. ;)

Majg – No No, Harm had extra reserves, he's like the energizer bunny LOL!

Nk – LOL! Now can you do that in a movie trailer announcer voice? As long as you don't call it "riveting", we're good! That word just IRKS me. Everything now a days is "riveting!" BLAH! DH – JEEZ! Outta control, Man! I felt Soooo bad for Mikey when the cops/FBI/whoever nabbed him. I'd so never talk to Susan again. It's getting good, very good :D

Bite Beccy :gasps: You thought I'd what! Well neener neener neener, youc an't flame meeeeeee:P Wow, yep, need therapy LOL! ;)

Froggy – When I was writing it was biting my own nails! I doubt, after the above chapter that Mac will share. I think, all we can hope for is sloppy seconds, and I thnk she'd even keep those to herself. Face it, we need to clone the man and quickly! I get dibs on Harm Clone and you get Harm Clone 2. Sounds good? Muahahaaa! It's alive!

JTB – Temir sort of paid them to be on the look out for them. No, I will promise you that Webb does NOT show up where Harm and Mac are. Eww!

HarmFan – Yep, I got a lil misty eyed when I wrote it. And yes, her waking up with Harm, very good. Hehehehe.

JagFan – Sorry for the confussion on the name change. I've been Radiorox since 97. And as time passed by and I couldn't secure that name on the net I switched to GuitarVixen cos I play guitar. Which, I like Radiorox better. ;)

Alix – They won't be dead so quickly, there is mucn more action adventure and maybe a third story to write. I want them as alive, if not more, than you guys do LOL!


	8. In A Rose Garden

Thanks for all of the feedback on this baby. I figure, there will be 14-15 parts on this one. I haven't started working on the third story, it might just be a stand alone, it's all debateable. The next part might not come for about a week or so, I've been sick and when I am sick I cease functioning properly. My brain turns to absolute mush.

Enjoy! Have a good weekend:)

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

Part 8 – In A Rose Garden  
0950 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

Mac hadn't been up long, Harm deduced; his hand running slowly over the area she'd formerly occupied. Glancing towards the window, he found her covered in a blanket looking out at the rain that was still falling. He would have panicked, but decided to first test the waters, praying an awkward moment wouldn't present itself.

Waking next to him had been like a dream. It gave at least a glimmer of hope in this nightmare they'd been thrown into. She didn't want to get up, but the night and the storm outside called to her. Mac fumbled through the pockets of her still wet jeans, fishing out her dog tags and the gold band Trish had given her. Eventually, she'd tell Harm that she had it, but for now, Mac was intent on keeping it to herself. She'd slipped the tags on and fingered the ring as she had so many times before.

Quietly, Harm raised himself off of the floor, and padded softly until he stood behind her. There he stopped unsure if he should break her reverie, not wanting to scare her. But, if he thought she wasn't aware of how near he was, then Harm had another thing coming. Slowly, his arms encircled her waist. His lips found a particular spot that he realized she liked to have kissed. As he nuzzled her neck, she couldn't stop the giggle the came about. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, the lack of warmth did."

Mac frowned as she stared out into the night, thoughts of the two that had died because of this crazy mission battered her conscience. "Their bodies are still out there?" They were enemies of their personal war. Two people who were put in a situation they never should have been in. Yes, all wars had casualties, but it still bothered her.

"We'll bury the bodies before we leave. . .It's the least we can do." He cradled her body, rocking her gently as the demons subsided. Mac turned around so she could face Harm, noticing he was standing there completely naked. She opened the blanket up for him and wrapped I around the both of them. Their lips sought each others again, tasting, caressing, meshing. With every breath and every caress Mac realized she'd forever be hopelessly in love with this man. "Come to bed."

Coyly, she glanced up at him, her eyes alive with mischief. "That's not a bed."

"Okay, come to the floor, then." He said with a mixture of amusement and enthusiasm. Harm led her back to their makeshift bed, passing a string that Mac had tied between furniture in order to hang their clothes dry. It was awe-inspiring how at ease they were with each other, as if making love were a normal occurrence. He liked that aspect of it all because he wanted her to be comfortable with him and him with her.

Mac crawled under the blanket first, removing the one that she had wrapped around them and placing it on top of the other they'd been using. She held them for Harm to crawl in and the moment he did, her lips were fused onto his again. "Thank you." She said when they parted. "Thank you for saving me."

"You did the same for me." Harm's hand delicately traced her facial features, stopping so he could kiss her lips. He couldn't get enough of that, he assumed he never would. "I only wish you'd been the one warming _me_ up that night I took a dip in the Atlantic. . ."

"I had a chance to talk to Skates after that." Mac chuckled at the stories the younger woman had about that fateful night, things Harm couldn't remember due to his partial loss of memories. "She jumped you in sickbay. . .said it worked pretty well and that you asked her if you two had ever dated."

Now that part he hadn't heard, since most of the medical team were junior officers, they'd all decided to keep those tidbits to themselves. "Wow, talk about really being out of it."

"That time was the most selfish I'd ever been." Frowning, she lay back deeply sighing as her mind forced herself to ignore that part of their past. It had been scary, to say the least. But, the outcome of it all was ridiculous.

"Selfish? How so?"

In one word, what she was referring to was Renee. True, she never liked the other woman and only stomached her because Mac loved Harm too much to berate his girlfriend, but there was one time that all of her values came crashing around her. "That night I came to your apartment after Mic left. . .I drove over there like a bat out of hell without. . .hesitation. . . I wanted you to comfort me and only me. Then and there I wanted you to chose me over Renee. . .But you had a responsibility to her, not to a woman who just a few days ago was scheduled to marry another man. . .Even on the LHA, that _is_ what I wanted, to know that you'd give up something so precious to you in order to have me."

The problem with that, of course, was that it took Harm quite a while to figure out that Mac needed the whole package. She needed the words and the actions. He understood that it came from a childhood that was less than wonderful. Unfortunately, had he realized that long ago, they never would have been in this predicament. "You know, that time on the LHA, you never let me answer."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. . . I said yes, Mac." He glanced over, her eyes widening in shock, mouth slightly agape. "I'd have given Renee up for you. . .If only I knew that it was me that you wanted."

Mac shut her mouth closed and turned slightly away from him. "I have to be the biggest moron on the planet." She was beating herself up, like she always did, but for good reason. Harm had always been there, would always be there and all she could do was try petty little tests and arguments.

"So am I, because I also kept missing the signals. . . Like in Sydney, what was it that you wanted from me?"

"That conversation in Sydney. . .was one of the worst we've ever had. . .You misunderstood what I needed."

"What did you need?"

Mac needed a lot of things, but all in all, one thing would have been just fine. "You. . . I just wanted you. . .your heart. . . I went to Mic because when I laid my heart out for you, you crushed it." Her eyes glistened as the words came out. It was agonizing, but, ironically it felt good to lay things all out on the line.

Nightmares of their talk on the ferry had plagued Harm since that evening. That night, after they'd taken the ferry back, there was a tension between them. One that Harm was sure would go away if he just did something. Always the gentleman, he walked her to her hotel room and even after that conversation on the ferry, she still looked up at him in anticipation. He knew she wanted him to kiss her, possibly even spend the night, but Harm wasn't ready for that. Truth was, Harm was afraid that when they went back home, it would all have been for naught. "I thought you wanted something else. . .And I was afraid that we would go back to Washington and it would not work out. . .I couldn't destroy our friendship. . .I really didn't realize what an idiot I was until I saw you and Mic kissing." Years after it all, that image was engraved into his psyche. It was one he was hoping would eventually burn away. But no, it remained as a showing of how out of control things could get when he made silly choices. "I think what bothered me the most was that we had a very unique relationship before I. . ."

"Left to fly, I know." But what he didn't know was that a part of her left with him. Getting back to work that day that Harm had left ops was impossible. Though she put on a poker face, inside she was broken. It wasn't her best friend that left. It was the man she'd been secretly in love with, one that she was sure loved her back but, because of past failures couldn't let go. "I learned to live without you. . .And it wasn't easy. . . But, when you came back, you thought things would be the same. . . And I know you resented me for being promoted first."

Harm shook his head. It had come to a shock, yes, but he didn't resent her. Mac deserved that promotion, he was the fool chasing a childhood dream. "I didn't resent you for the promotion. . .What I resented was you and Brumby being so. . .chummy. . .I just wanted us to be un-complicated."

Mac chuckled. That complicated word did seem to come up quite a lot during their history. If their current situation had any bearing on their relationship, it was proof that things between them would always go through he non-conventional approach. "We've never been un-complicated. . .I don't think we'll ever be. The two of us are too stubborn to do things the easy way."

"You know? I thought I had un-complicated it that night on the Admiral's porch when we talked."

Men were so dense sometimes. "That complicated things even more. . .I was getting ready for my wedding." Did he think she would just up and run to him while she was wearing another man's ring? The thought was tempting, but it wasn't in her to do that. Mic was safe, a man that wanted her and wanted to give her the things she needed. Harm, while he was the one she truly loved, was an enigma, a man that she was afraid to go to and have him hurt her all over again. "Do you know what I really wanted from you?"

He thought he knew, but with Mac, Harm never was sure. "No."

"This is going to sound ridiculous, but I wanted you to do the Neanderthal thing and fight for me. Claim me as being yours."

Harm chuckled. "You don't look like the type of woman that wants a controlling man in her life, Mac. That's why I never did it. . . I thought you wanted me to back off, so I did."

She shook her head. "No, I don't like controlling men. I've had that in my past, but it would be nice for you to fight for me. . ." Shyly she shrugged. "I think all women, deep inside, want a knight in shining armor, the guy that rights the wrongs and keeps us away from the wrong guys." Her hand moved slowly tracing his cheeks, then his nose. "Maybe all of this is fate because in the end we wound up together. . . I guess that is some sort of sign, huh?"

Harm's sexy grin captivated her. "Yea it is. . .And though I am sure we still have things to discuss. . .I want another kiss."

"Oooh, what makes you think you deserve another?" She flirted back at him, her eyebrow raising in question as a saccharine sweet smile appeared on her face.

"Well, to start with. . .I know where your tattoos are and since I have that intimate knowledge, it deserves some sort of reward." He liked this, the ease that they were flirting with each other. What Harm liked even more was that they didn't have to stop and be cautious with it.

"How is it that you've never seen the one on my ankle? I only have it covered during work. Are you not a _legs_ type of guy?" She teased.

"No, I am. . . and you do have lovely legs." Harm's voice said seductively, his hand running slowly up her leg. "But, for me it's your eyes that do me in."

"My eyes?" His voice was so bedroom sweet, that it was being difficult for Mac not have her way with him. And that look in his eyes was tuning her to mush. Yes, Sarah MacKenzie was hopelessly in love and falling even farther by the minute.

"Oh yea. . .Your eyes are so . . .expressive that. . .I have to admit, sometimes you've made my heart stop." It had been the truth, though Harmon Rabb had learned to mask his emotions better than a high stakes poker player. Mac had always made him feel like a silly teenager. Her eyes, the emotions that lay within, completely captivated him.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

Mac sighed happily, feeling his fingers run up and down her back. Her breath hitched slightly and she closed her eyes, giving into the sensation. "Take my breath away?"

"Have I done that before?"

Had he done that before? Like he had to ask? "Yes. . . You've had a hold on me for a very long time, Harm. . .I just didn't want to get hurt."

Harm nodded, it had been the same for him, cept, at first it wasn't just about getting hurt. It was about him not being able to decipher between Mac and Diane. But, that was past now, water under the bridge. And he wouldn't let his relationship with Mac suffer any longer.

They lay quietly together, Harm slowly running circles along her back as Mac's hand did the same on his chest. They were watching each other, looks so intense it could have melted and iceberg. And after everything they'd said, there was one thing that still needed to get out. "I love you." They said in unison, then both waited a moment for that to register, then started chuckling.

Mac bit her lower lip. "I ah, was trying to get that out before you did."

"Me too." Harm confessed.

"I think I should have told you that night in Sydney. Maybe things wouldn't have been so out of control."

Harm nodded. "And I should have told you when we first kissed. Remember that night in Norfolk?" Remember? Hell, Mac had it etched in her memory. It was sweet, so very sweet, but when they pulled apart and she saw the look in her eyes, Mac realized he wasn't kissing her. "I had conflicting feelings because I wanted to see you as you. I wanted to stop hoping she'd come back to me. . .And when we kissed, those conflicting feelings weren't so conflicting anymore. . .I realized that for the last year and a half I was falling for you. . .Diane was just a memory."

Mac let out a sigh of relief. She'd always been bothered by his love of Diane. Not that she was jealous, but more like concerned over who he was seeing when he looked at her. "I want to say that I fell for you when we met, but that would be a bad cliché. . .But, I think along the lines of you helping with Uncle Matt and you hanging out of that helo. . .It did something to me. . .I started seeing that not all men were the same. You were special. . .And I know I was a bit. . uh, hostile at first, but I was just guarding myself because I could see myself falling for you and having my heartbroken."

But, even so, for all the guarding that they did, each of them had their heartbroken. "And still, I've broken your heart. . .I wish I could take that all away. . .start again." He said with a frown.

Mac reached her hand up, touching the sad features of his face. "And I've broken yours. . . .I think that, even if we started again, this. . .all of this, would have still happened. . .Because we needed to live life and grow up."

Grow up? He doubted that would ever happen. "You think we've grown up?"

Chuckling, she shook her head 'no.' "Nope. . .I think we are two kids stuck in adult bodies because of what our pasts dictated. . .I do, however, believe we can learn from the past. We may not have put all our demons to rest, but we've learned to bury them better."

"You're very philosophical at this hour, MacKenzie." He brought one arm around Mac, pulling her body against his as he rolled onto his back. Harm kissed her slowly, taking all of his time to enjoy her sweet lips on his. As the weight of her body pushed down on his, he felt something hard against his chest. Looking down, he saw something he hadn't noticed before – it was shining in the light of the fireplace as it hung on a chain alongside Mac's dog tags.

He reached between them and tugged the chain over Mac's head, taking the band between his fingers, squinting to take a good look at it.. Before he was captured, back in December, he had made a conscious decision to put some sort of ring on Mac's finger come the New Year. She could call it a friendship ring, a promise ring. She even could have chosen not to wear it, but he wanted her to have it as a sign of his willingness to start a life with her. An engagement ring would be too extravagant for two people that hadn't once dated romantically. But, he remembered his family ring, one that his father had given to his mother and the other Rabb men generation to the woman they wanted to spend their lives with.

The last time he was in California, Harm had snuck into his mother's bedroom and found the band. Trish had it inside an extravagant box which only housed her most cherished pieces of jewelry. All of his life, he barely remembered the ring, but in one of those flashes of memory, he was drawn to it. He must have spent a good hour just staring at it, memorizing every inch of the engraving, finding it ironic, but amusing that it was roses.

_-'Where'd you find this sailor, Sarah?'_

'_In a rose garden, Uncle Matt.'-_

Mac's breath caught as he stared down at the gold band. Had she done the wrong thing by choosing to wear it along side her dog tags? Should she have slipped it on her finger instead? Worse yet, did he just not want her to have that? Was Trish mistaken when she'd placed that band in Mac's care?

_-"There's something I want you to have. This was mine and it was Grandma Sarah's before that. . ."_

_Mac took the box and slowly opened it. Inside lay a beautiful band with roses engraved around it. "I don't understand."_

"_Harm loved you." Trish stated simply, with conviction because she knew it was the truth. _

_Mac stared at the beautiful simplicity of the band, her eyes filling with tears over a man she possibly would never see again. A man that she never got to tell how much she loved him. "I know."-_

"Your mom. . .When we had your . . ." It was difficult to say it, knowing he was alive and well. Mac hoped she'd never have to live a day like that ever again. ". . .At Arlington, after the service she and I spent some time talking. . .She said she wanted me to have it because you loved me." He did love her, she knew that now. But, she couldn't help the nagging feeling inside. What if love wasn't enough? What if what Harm's promise to 'always be there' came with a limitation? "I'm sorry, Harm." She slid off of him, coming to lay on her back.

Harm fingered the band, feeling each indentation as if memorizing them. It was beautiful, simple, but beautiful, like his Marine. He smiled brightly, wishing he could keep it together, but failing. A tear slid down his cheek and down to the pillow as his eyes. "I can't believe you have this." When this was all over, the first thing he had to do was call his mother and thank her. Thank her for dealing with all of his problematic teenaged years. But, the main thing he had to do was thank Trish for putting things into perspective again, for making him believe there was still a future with Sarah MacKenzie. He turned to his side, staring at Mac who's beautiful face had scrunched up in a frown. "You were meant to have this Sarah. . .I wanted to give it to you on New Years Eve. . .I wanted you to have this."

Mac creased her forehead in confusion, he wasn't upset. In fact, he looked overjoyed. Reaching up, she brushed away a tear from his eyes. "I thought you would be upset if I had it. . .Actually, I, didn't know what to think." She swallowed down the lump at her throat, then moved to him, wrapping her arms around his body. "I wanted to slip it on my finger so many times. . . But it didn't seem right if it wasn't you that put it there."

"We can do that now. . . Because, I'm ready, Mac. . .I'm ready for you. I've been ready for you. . .I just needed to know you were ready for me."

She pulled away from him, the love in his eyes warming her heart. God, she loved him. "I want to wait until we are out of here and we're home. . . There's so much going on around us, things we have to concentrate on. . . When we get home and the dust settles. . .I would like you to put that band in the right place."

Harm smugly smiled down at her. God, this was really happening, they were finally on the same page of the same book. "Until then, I like the idea you had of keeping it near your heart." He slipped the chain over her head, staring down at the band and how it contrasted beautifully with the color of her skin. "It's almost as beautiful as you are. . .almost."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, my flyboy." Smiling, she reached up and kissed him soundly. "Now, how about we get some sleep then get the hell out of here and back to a semi-normal life."

Harm pulled her into his chest, his hands running slowly up and down her arms, making sure Mac was warm. "I wouldn't want it any other way."  
-

NK – And I am obviously on crack because, at first I read that you had a CLOD not a cold. LOL! Fun, I have a cold too, next time PLEASE keep yer germs to yerself:P Course, if it wasn't your germs I got, I do apologize. ;) DH is great! And yea no DH for a while. I still say DJE and CB need to be on DH. I might write a story about that, just not sure if I can tackle all of the DH cast, too many people!

Xblue – I was never upset with DJE because, as an actor, I am sure he is bored of JAG and when an actor is bored of the show they are on, the acting suffers. I found it strange that earlier this season he said he'd be happy to go for another season. But, now that things come out into the light, it appears DPB and TPTB didn't want him around for another season. Sick, when the show revolves around Harm, but okay, I'll live. It's why I have a punching bag outside for. ;) I don't mind it going on without Harm, BUT, as a spin off and as long as Harm and Mac get some real closure not some bullshit that says they are sorta together or make your own conclusion. I hope to God DJE does wonderful in ABC and TPTB of JAG can kiss his ass. Calix – but you put up with us dontcha? Or is it that Xblue pays you well? ;)

HarmFan – Glad you are still digging it! Yes, I plan to keep writing until I a) run out of ideas or b) run out of readers. :) I have a lot of odd ideas and some fun ideas rolling around. I have a file with a bunch of ideas for stories. We'll see how it goes.

Joanoa – At least it wasn't the pee pee dance. ;) Glad yer happy!

Carbygirl – I am sure you had a smile! LOL! I would LOVE to see something of this nature on screen, it could have literally encompassed like about 6 episodes or something. Wow, hey DPB, look at me! ;)

JTBwriter – LOL! Poor mans excuse for a hunk! I LOVE IT! I agree too. Of course, I am a bit ticked over the DJE thing, but Vic-ick isn't my type. No weasel, I haven't really thought of writing about him for a while, he might show up, people might want to know about him. Or not. LOL!

Mjag – Oh, I think Harm can be a nice energizer bunny too if he had the right motivation. ;)

Froggy – Well, I put our clone orders in. We get to chose 3 sets of clothes from the JAG set, of course I picked the dress whites, summer whites and that flight suit:)


	9. Explained Absence

And here is part 9! Not very chatty tonight, I have a bad cold can't function well :P

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

Part 9 – Explained Absence

1301 Zulu  
JAG Headquarters  
Falls Church, Virginia

Creswell didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit, not knowing how his people were doing. It was the plan for them to maintain incommunicado until the end of this cat and mouse game, but it unnerved him. Now, he had another problem to deal with – Major Chris Steele had gone UA. He'd called Sturgis and Bud out to the patio area, in front of JAG ops, just in case anyone was 'listening.' "I know it's a long shot, but do you think Steele is involved with what happened to Rabb?"

Bud took a sip from the coffee he'd been nursing. "I wouldn't put it past them, sir. . .Mrs. Webb knows how the CIA operates. If she believes that someone on the inside is dirty, then I believe her. Unfortunately, she's not saying who she suspects it is. . . Guess it's some CIA pride."

"Yes, Bud. But, how would Steele be involved?" Sturgis asked, still not wrapping around the idea that a lame officer like Major Steele would be involved in any conspiracy.

Creswell believed the same, but after hearing of the man's attack on the Colonel, he believed Chris to be more than he said he was. "Have you unconverted anything in his files?"

"Some." Sturgis confirmed with a frown. "But other things are. . . classified."

"I'll make a few calls and believe me, that file will be unclassified before noon." And he would definitely see to that. Gordon Creswell wasn't one to sit back and let anyone tell him what he could or couldn't do. Unlike his predecessors, Creswell was a Marine first and with that came the need to take care of his people, damn the consequences. He did not like the political role that came with being a JAG, seeing as it had no baring on lawyers defending and prosecuting their own.

Bud squeezed the water bottle he'd set next to the coffe a few times, the stress of it all was beginning to be a bit much. It was difficult to go on with his life knowing his friends were in a harrowing situation, again. "I just wish we knew something. . .I hate not knowing if they're okay or not."

Creswell padded the young Lt. Commander on the shoulder and smiled. "If the stories I hear about Rabb and MacKenzie are true, they'll come out of this just fine." Or so he prayed.

1501 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

Ever since the sun rose, Harm took on the daunting task of creating a place for the two dead bodies to lay. It was done more for his and Mac's piece of mind than anything else. After what they'd went through, he would never be able to forgive the two. Still, even they deserved a place to rest and he would hope, that if, God forbid, he was killed in action, someone would afford him the same courtesy. He slipped out of the cabin without waking Mac, leaving a note with a pen and paper that he found, telling her to stay put. Since then, he'd retrieved both their packs and managed to put the two bodies in the ground.

Harm took a rope from inside Pete's shack, criss-crossing it along two sticks in order to make a cross. He pushed the cross into the ground, between the two piles of earth, marking Marcy and Pete's final resting places. With a sigh, he raised his head up to the Heavens. "Do with them what you will."

Inside the cabin, Mac had used the old range in order to heat up the breakfast MRE packs and some coffee. Earlier, she'd tried heading into the woods, but after taking a few steps out of the cabin, Mac realized she wouldn't know what direction to head. With an annoyed huff, she headed back inside, going through the packs that he'd brought back about an hour and a half earlier. It was nice to be able to take a 'cat bath' and slip into warm clothes. The clothing that she'd stretched out on a line over the fireplace were still damp, the jeans would never air dry with their current weather.

The sound of someone heading up the wooden steps of the cabin had her springing to action. Quickly she reached to the back of her jeans, pulling out the 45mm that Harm had brought along with their packs. She pushed herself up against the wall, sliding down to hide behind a small wooden table in the kitchen area. Using all of her Marine training, she controlled her breathing and slipped her finger over the trigger, preparing to fire. The person stepped into the house and immediately her arm went down. "Jeez, Harm."

Harm held his hands up in surrender. "Jeez yourself, Mac. . ." He took a deep breath, then walked over to her. "It's done."

She placed the gun in the back of her jeans then walked back over to the stove to check on the MREs. "You should have let me go with you."

"I didn't want you to see that." He confessed. Death was something neither of them were fond of, but this was _his_ mission and he was intent on not letting her shoulder more than she could handle.

Mac placed her hands on her hips and eyed him coyly. "Harmon Rabb, Junior, are you doing the macho thing?"

"Yes." He took one of the MRE packets she offered him and smiled. "Thank you."

Taking her own MRE pack, she sat at the small wooden table and sighed. "You do know that I am a Marine, right?"

Harm nodded, he knew that 'I'm a Marine' speech would show up eventually. "Yes, I do and I know you're probably the best female Marine out there, but. . ." He shoved some of the eggs and ham into his mouth and munched on them before continuing. "I am the one who needs to shoulder this, Mac. Not you. . .non of this was your fault."

"Please don't tell me you are blaming yourself for what happened?" She was afraid of this, Harm's penchant for blaming himself even when things weren't his fault. "Because you couldn't have known that your flight had been sabotaged."

"I could have said, 'no.' When they diverted me to Groom Lake, I could have just continued onward to Fallon, like it was originally planned."

She took the coffee pack and swallowed the warm liquid down. "And what would you do, Harm? Pretend you didn't hear the order? Disobey the order? That isn't like you. . .and this. . . non of this is your fault."

What he wouldn't give to be back in that F-18 and do exactly what she'd just suggested. He should have ignored orders and gone with the gut feeling that something would go wrong. Screw it if his Naval career went down the drain as a result, at least he'd been home, with her. "It's my fault you're here. I should've never shown up at your apartment."

"It was my choice to come, remember? Like it was my choice to follow you to Russia, twice. . .and your choice to follow me to Paraguay." She knew he would give her another argument, but it wouldn't happen. "That's what is so special about _us_. We follow each other wherever, consequences be damned. . .I won't lie that I'm scared of what's going to happen, but as long as we do this together, it'll be fine. . .we'll be fine."

Harm believed that once, but as his mind drew him back to Marcy and Pete's bodies, now laying several feet under ground, it was difficult to think positive. For that matter, he wasn't even sure what direction to head anymore. "And if it's not fine?"

"Then, at least, we'll die together." Death was hardly the romantic subject, but the way Mac spoke, touched him. She would be willing to risk it all for him as he would for her. "I spent months not knowing what was going on and that isn't going to happen again."

1645 Zulu  
JAG Headquarters  
Falls Church, Virginia

Within the last three hours, Creswell, Turner and Roberts had met outside twice. When each of them was busy contacting someone else for information, notes would be passed along through Petty Officer Coates who was confused, but wisely kept her mouth shut, over the odd occurrence. One by one they headed outside and to the table and chairs that had been their designated meeting area. Creswell had just gotten off the horn with the SECNAV and though the channels were barring them information on CIA problems and Major Steele, Bud had used his laptop and several untraceable programs to hack into the CIA mainframe. It had nearly taken him two hours, but the results were impressive.

With a grin, he walked up to Sturgis and Creswell, a grin on his face. "I got him." He placed an inch thick stack of papers between the two of them. "Major Christopher Montgomery Steele III. Son of Christopher and Megan Steele. . . Both of his parents were CIA as were his grandparents before that."

Sturgis leafed through the family history. "What did they do?"

"Well, it appears that death ran in the family. . .The Steele's had a penchant for being excellent marksmen, heading up the CIA ladders as hitmen. . . Major Steele's father was also in the Corps, dishonorably discharged without confinement for the death of his Unit leader back in 1976, he passed away in 79 while on a mission in South Africa. . . His mother, Megan Steele, passed away in 1980 when the Major was only 12. Mr. Raymond Levine became his legal guardian and on his 18th birthday Steele joined the Corps. . . Now, if you move to page three, you'll see all of the missions he's been on. . .Almost all of them were classified and CIA sanctioned."

Creswell sat back, taking a moment to digest all of this information. "Jesus Christ. So he's been playing us. . . All of us."

"That's not all. . . Apparently this Raymond Levine, Steele's uncle, took over the CIA when Kershaw passed on a few days ago."

Sturgis shook his head. "Other than their family ties, what's the correlation?"

"Levine was the Assistant Director of the CIA when the Commander was sent to fly the F-18 to Fallon. . .He's the one that got on the horn with the higher ups to change Harm's flight plan and have him head to Groom Lake instead." Bud, sat back in his chair. "He's also the one that's been having every agency after Harm for treason. . . which leads me to believe that, he knew Harm was alive. But, how would he know unless he was in contact with the man that captured Harm?"

Creswell stared between the two men and chuckled. "As much as I think that our office is an asylum, I have to admit that I have a very smart group. . . So Mr. Roberts, how do we go about validating this information?"

"I say we go to the source itself. . .We question Raymond Levine."

1700 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

Harm stepped out of the cabin and walked down the steps noting that the clouds in the area were starting to disperse. After their breakfast, a downpour had made it impossible to set out. It was raining so hard, it seemed like a big white sheet had been tossed over the cabin. But, now it was time to head out again. Mac stepped up next to him and handed over his pack. "Mac, should we take their rifles?" He pointed back to the cabin and the two rifles that were resting near the doorway.

Another voice, this one definitely male responded, "How about we ignore the rifles and you two hand over any weapons you might have on you?"

Mac turned to her right only to be greeted by a dazzling smile and a man holding an AK-47. "Chris. . ."

Cristina – Ack! That happened to my cousin's wife with their first, she was bored with bedrest, but the outcome was a beautiful baby boy to add to our family. :) Hope everything is okay and thanks for the feedback!

Britanny – I wouldn't hold my breath about them remembering 4 solution, apparently TPTB have forgotten about it :P

NK – These germs are NOT friendly! I feel like roadkill :P

LtMeg – Okie dokie, you get Harms Clone 3 LOL!

Martini – I was never angry with DJE even when it was first thought that he jumped ship. But it's still sad that the writing has suffered so much that they don't bother giving him a grand exit.

Alix – Thank you! I thought I was nice, the whole ring part was cool to write. Unfortuantely, we still have some dark stuff to wrap up, but they'll see it through together. 

BiteBeccy – Yea, lucky woman all cuddled up with a naked Harm :swoon:

JTB – Yea, the idea was for them to have "the talk" during the whole story. So in the ned, they don't have to have "the talk" because they've been doing just that LOL!

Mjag – Didn't even realize that and at this point, the cold meds have claimed most of my brain functioning. LOL

Xblue – Calix – Get off the meds dood! Like now! Sheesh! And Blue – Yes! Whip out the story damnit! Us ff writers will prevail! ;)

Froggy – Aye aye! The order has been processed and you'll get those outfits. Also, there was a special Free silk boxers. ;)


	10. Payback's A Bitch

This is a two parter, I'll post part 11 on Thursday

Enjoy

J.

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

PART 10 – Payback's a Bitch

1700 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

"Hello, Sarah. . .hand over your pack and Commander, I suggest you do the same." He pointed the AK solely at Mac. If the scuttlebutt around the office was true, Harm wouldn't do anything that would put her life in danger.

"That's a tempting offer, really. . .but how about you let us think about it?" She couldn't help the insolent tone. Of all of the things Mac was expecting, this was definitely not it. Steele seemed like a buffoon in Marine's clothing, but she, and everyone else were wrong about him. That alone angered her more than anything else. "And how about you start calling me Colonel, Major? I don't remember ever giving you permission to call me Sarah."

"Don't try that smart mouth of yours, Sarah. . ." He grinned at her, a sick, nauseating grin that seemed more of that belonging to a sexual predator. "It is a lovely mouth though. . .I still remember it on mine."

Mac snorted, the whole idea of him touching her was repulsive. "Not even in your wildest dreams, Major." She pulled her gun out from the back of her jeans and tossed it at him.

"So, I assume you're Major Steele?" Harm held his hands up as he moved a few steps closer to the other man and handed over his gun. Though he was smiling, his mind was running a billion different scenarios of how he was going to make the Major pay for what he did to Mac.

"You are a hard man to track Commander. . .You should've just been a real man and turned yourself in. . .It would have been an easier way to handle this mess."

Harm chuckled. "And why don't _you_ be a real man, and try a little hand to hand with me. . .I guarantee I play fair, unlike Mac here. . .I promise not to kick you in the balls."

Chris used the AK to guide Harm towards Mac. "Actually, if I spar with anyone, it's the Colonel here. . .One on one. . . We have a score to settle." He glanced at Mac again with his saccharine sweet smile. "He _was_ at your apartment that night I came over, wasn't he?"

Mac nodded. "He's been hiding out in my apartment since July 3rd."

"Harboring a traitor, you could do some time for that. . .I don't even think the General would be able to save your six."

"Harm _is not_ a traitor."

"How can you be sure?" Bending over, he kept the AK trained on the pair as he reached down and grabbed each of their pistols, which he tucked into his pants. "He dragged you out here, he knows where the planes are. . .I mean, after all of this time, after all he supposedly went through, all the torture. . .And he is still alive?"

Mac found his rendition of it all to be humorous. It was obvious that the Major really wasn't a lawyer. "You know, no matter what psychobabble you try. . . I am on _HIS_ side. . . and I'll always be."

Chris pointed the AK up the hill the cabin was resting against. "Up there. . .get moving, we have a lot of terrain to cover. Oh and don't try any sudden moves. . . I'm a trigger happy idiot."

Mac and Harm complied, heading up the small hill in silence, until she decided to find out what was going on. "So, who set this up?"

"Like I am going to tell you ?" He poked Harm with the tip of the AK, motioning him away from a thick area of bushes. "Commander, please don't pick your own paths. Just follow mine."

Mac glanced up at Harm for one brief moment, their eyes conveying a message that only they could understand. "So, Chris. . .We're going to die anyway. . .How'd this get set up?"

Chris grinned. "Let's just say that the higher ups needed a trained aviator which they got. . .Unfortunately, he ran away and is very much needed again."

"What do they want the planes for, Major?" Harm asked. As they walked through the area, he could feel his body becoming weaker. He hadn't taken the medication since before they were captured by the hillbillies and doubted, very much Chris would allow him to take it now. He needed both of them, the vitamins and the anti-opiates, Mac had explained that if he forgot to take them, his body would start to feel the effects.

Chris was walking a couple of paces behind, keeping the AK trained on Harm while he spent a few stolen moments undressing Mac with his eyes. "Impressive six, Colonel."

Stopping apparently, she snapped her head to glare at him. "How about you be a man. Drop the weapon and we'll do a little sparring."

"That is tempting, yes. But, I can control my urges until we have suitable time, Sarah. . .Besides, I am not stupid. . .You're a specialist in hand to hand combat. I put my weapon down and the playing field's even. . . I don't like them odds."

Harm snorted. "So much for a real man. . .You are afraid of a woman."

"Aren't you, Commander?" He stopped for a moment and plastered a fake look of shock. "Oh of course not, you and the Colonel already play a little of your own hand to hand. . . so tell me, was she any good?"

"You son of a. . ." As Harm made to lunge at Chris, Mac stepped in front and stopped him. She didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes was enough to help him calm down. "You aren't worth it."

Chris raised his eyebrows in mild amusement. "Ah, I see we're whipped."

Had it not been for Mac's sake and the AK pointed at them, Harm would have throttled the man and left nothing but a pulp. As they hiked up, Harm managed to whisper to Mac. "We have to do something."

Mac agreed, but it wasn't like either of them had a method of defense. "We need to wait until his guard is down."

"I think I might have an idea." His body was growing weaker, but he could always fake that it was worse than it really was. Chris wouldn't' know the difference.

1725 Zulu  
CIA Headquarters  
Langley, Virginia

"Please, please. . . Have a seat." After exchanging pleasantries, Raymond Levine kept his smile plastered on his face as the three JAG lawyers sat before him. "Would you like coffee? I'll have my secretary bring in a fresh pot. . ." He gave that 'just a moment' sign with his finger and pressed the intercom button. "Delilah, please bring in coffee for myself and these three gentlemen, thank you."

Creswell hated the CIA more than it was humanly possible for him to explain. It all went back to a case where he defended and lost just because the Agency had hung the Recon Marine he was defending, out to dry. Sheffield had warned him that the CIA often used JAG Headquarters like some sort of recruitment/information help desk and he was determined to stop that. He would have started with Rabb's little mission, but that was so far under the radar, it was practically invisible. "Mr. Levine, I must congratulate you on your new promotion."

Ray put his best somber look as he nodded. "Just a shame it had to come to pass in such a terrible way."

"Mr. Kershaw was a good man." Bud said. Had it not been for Kershaw, he was sure Sadik Fahd would have done away with Mac during their little meeting. He was also the first to apologize openly for Harm's disappearance, the only one to own up to the CIA making a mistake. "What I don't understand is how you rose so quickly up the agency's ladder. . .I hear you were a trainer up to a year ago."

Cognac, Ray needed his beloved cognac, but the moment wasn't right for it. He took a few breaths, used a few field agent relation techniques and steeled himself. These three were on to something, or at least they thought they were. Fine, he could deal with them, the same way he dealt with everything else: lies, violence and disinformation. "My family was very a prominent force within the agency. . .And Kershaw had a deep respect for my work. He believed we needed a trainer, someone who knows the agents intimately as the Assistant Deputy Director. . .Sadly, that title also makes me somewhat of an understudy should something befall the Deputy Director."

"But the agency's counsel still had to vote on your presence as a Deputy Director, though you may be the acting Deputy Director, their overall votes were against you." Creswell sneered. He did a bit of research himself and the higher ups at the agency had not put Levine in of their free will. The man just took over but due to several missions still being conducted, he was left in as to not damage the balance of power.

Levine smiled. "It's a formality, once the current missions go as planned, I'll be in this position officially."

"Excuse me for saying, sir, but you sound awfully sure of yourself." Sturgis said.

"It's called confidence, I am sure you, as a JAG lawyer must know all about that."

Sturgis smiled politely. "Yes sir, but, as a JAG lawyer I do not run the world's largest spy network. . . Nor am I responsible for 'x' amount of lives and therein, lies the problem."

Delilah, Levine's secretary stepped into the office holding a tray with four cups and a large coffee pot. She poured each man their java and politely stepped out of the room. Bud took a sip of the coffee, wincing slightly as the hot liquid went down his throat. "Mr. Levine, what concerns us is not your position at the agency, though that should be brought before other government agencies. Our problem is with Commander Harmon Rabb junior."

"I've never heard of him." Ray said quickly, a little too quickly and instantly, he knew he was busted. Still, he had to play the game. "Should I know him?"

Sturgis pulled out a file which he slid over Ray's desk. "Considering you signed the orders to send him on a classified mission, I would say: 'yes', you should know him."

Ray would have paled if it wasn't for how angry he was that three legal weenies had gotten so far with information. He glanced at the file and Harm's USN picture stared back at him. Oh yes, he knew him, intimately. "Do you know how many mission's I've signed for? Honestly, I do not remember this man. . . Besides, it says here that he was Navy, we use our own operatives."

"Was Navy?" Creswell said quickly and at Ray's mask of confusion, he bit back a grin. "You said that the Commander 'was' Navy. . .Why would you be speaking of him in past tense?"

He wavered slightly, but recovered fast enough. "Well, I assumed something had happened to him if you are here asking questions. . . Which, if he were involved in a CIA mission, it's classified. Non of you have the clearance."

Creswell nodded. "No, we wouldn't, but the President would. And I am sure he would be just happy to know that a Deputy Director of a prestigious government agency had tainted the name of one of America's heroes."

"I don't take kindly to threats, General." Ray said with a scowl. Now he really was angry, who they hell did they think they were barging into his office?

"It's not a threat." He pulled out yet another file and slid it towards Ray. "Your nephew, who was pretending to be a JAG officer and subsequently tried to attack a female Marine under my command, has gone missing."

Bud nodded. "And you can not feed us that crap about you not knowing him. More than half of the information in that file has to do with classified CIA missions one of which had him in Newfoundland, Canada during some portions of the beginning of the year."

Oh yeah, now he _really _needed that drink. They knew, worse than that, Ray was one hundred percent certain that they'd seen Rabb alive. Men who, months prior believed the Commander was dead, were now singing another tune. "What does Chris' whereabouts have to do with this Commander Rabb?"

"You know, you know exactly what we are talking about. . . We know the stress is getting to you Raymond. . .we can't prove it yet, but eventually we will." Sturgis said with a very satisfied smirk.

Raymond stood up apparently sending both Chris' and Harm's papers flying over his desk. "I do not know what the _hell_ you three are talking about. . .but how _dare_ you come here and put me through some interrogation. . ." Angrily he slammed his hand onto the desk. "I bet you the SECNAV won't approve of your actions, General. As _the JAG_, I'd have hoped you had a bit more decorum on how you _and_ your officers behaved themselves."

That's when Creswell grinned openly. "Actually, Ray, the SECNAV was all for this little. . .interrogation. He even allowed us to do it." That was a lie, but it was time to fight fire with fire. Standing, he walked around the desk and picked up the papers, stuffing them all into the folders. When he straightened, Levine was nose to nose with him. "Scared yet?"

"You're playing with fire, Creswell. . .Be prepared to fry to a crisp."

If Levine thought he didn't like threats, Creswell was sure he despised them. In seconds, he grabbed Levine's arm bending it back so far, it threatened to snap. Only when the man groaned in pain, did Creswell speak, "If anything happens to my people, I will kill you myself."

Bud and Sturgis stood at the other end of the desk. "Torture, then kill you." Bud added in a tone that the young Lt. Commander never used. Frankly put, his cool, mild-mannered demeanor was shot to hell when he heard the details of Harm's capture.

As the three JAG officers headed out of Langley, emotions over what had been done coursed through them. "Get on the horn with your families, I suggest they get out of town." If Creswell had an inkling of what Levine was capable of, he knew that not only they were in danger, put the families as well.

"Done sir, I had Harriet fly down to Naples with the kids as of yesterday." Bud said with a slight frown. He missed his family, but he was happier missing them and knowing they were okay.

Sturgis nodded. "Dad's not in town and Varese is in Vegas. I'll ask her to stay there as long as possible."

"Good. . .Mr. Roberts, think you can find us something else?"

With a grin, Bud pulled out a messenger bag that house his laptop. "Yes, sir. . .and if I can't, I have a few friends that can help out."

2220 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

The hike had been close to deadly. Though they covered much ground and were nearing Temir's land, Major Steele had been unforgiving until Harm literally collapsed. He never let Harm or Mac stop "marching", not even for a drink of water as they passed a stream. The two had to make due sharing a canteen, most of which Mac had offered to Harm. They still had their packs on, making the hike even that more horrible. Eventually, she had to help Harm, using her body to hold up his as they walked through the rough terrain.

"I can't. . . I can't go anymore." Harm slipped away from Mac and fell to the ground. His chest was heaving, body shaking from both the stress and the lack of getting the medicines his body required. Steele had snatched the pill bottles from Harm and stuffed them into his own pack, he wanted him to suffer.

Mac came to her knees next to Harm. She pressed her hand to the side of his face, then his forehead, finding him hot and feverish. "We have to rest. He needs to rest. He needs his medication."

Chris sighed deeply. "Both of you are such poor officers. . . Fine, we'll stop. They can't use him if he's dead." He pulled the packs off of both Harm and Mac and placed them with his own. "You have twenty minutes, nothing more.

"He can't move anymore, not without his medication." Mac spat, her eyes shooting daggers at the Major. "For Christ's sake, can't you see he's suffering?"

"Oh yes." There was a pleased grin, a sickening pleased grin and she realized that Chris liked having others feel pain. "I just really don't care. . . They need him alive. They never said unhurt."

Mac stood up and moved her way closer to him. "Who's 'they?' Huh? We're going to be killed anyway, what's the harm in letting us know."

"They, Sarah. . .are Temir and his associate. . .They are the ones that set all of this in motion. My being at JAG, the attack on Mr. Webb, the Commander's disappearance. . .They control the game and everything in between."

"And who is this associate?"

Chris grinned. "My. .." He was about to finish when Harm let out a glottal cry. "Tsk tsk tsk, shouldn't have started the drugs in the first place, Commander." He'd heard about the type of torture Temir preferred to use. It was a type that Chris, himself had used and found it to be of best effect – hurt the person, then shoot them up with pain killers – only to hurt them again. The result, after the pain killers wore off, was a pain unmatched by any other.

Mac kneeled next to Harm again. Grabbing the canteen, she doused her scarf with whatever water was left and dabbed it onto his face. "Shhh, Harm. . .Hang on." His eyes were closed, his body shivering and his medication was in Chris' bag not too far away. She turned and looked up at the Major who had taken a spot against a tree. "He's exhausted, he needs those pills. . .The doctor who took care of him told us Harm needed to continue to take them both for two months. . .Please, let me give them to him."

Chris had between watching the two with great interest. During the hike, he found that Rabb and Mac would often chance looks at each other. Looks saved for people you were intimate with. The look of lovers. Now, as Mac kneeled by Harm's side, he saw the look of despair in her eyes. She would do anything for Harm. "You really care for him don't you, Sarah?"

"Yes." Mac said with such conviction that it scared her.

"Would you do anything to protect him?" It was more than a statement than a question.

"Yes." She said between clenched teeth. What was Steele planning? What sort of sick thing was running through his mind? God, how she hated that at one point she was trying to be friends with him, just to keep the peace. Now, all she wanted to do was throttle him.

His smile was nauseating. The look in his eyes would have frightened any other woman away. "Well, you're in luck then. . .because I am feeling charitable."

She knew what he wanted, it's the same thing he wanted from the moment he stepped foot into JAG ops. The same thing he wanted that evening when he'd attacked her. "I know what you want from me."

"Do you?" He knew that she did, it had been obvious from the way his eyes were drinking her in. The thing was, how much did she really care for Harm? Enough to sacrifice her own body?

Mac would. She'd do anything to make sure Harm would be okay, even something as low as was on Chris' mind. "Let's just go and get it over with."

Harm grabbed her arm, pulling her down to him. "No, Mac." There was something in his eyes that only she caught, a wink that he gave her before pretending to pass out.

She understood, though sure that he was tired, the overall aspect of it was a charade. "It's okay Harm. . .I'll be okay." Mac took a deep breath, he had a plan and though she had no clue what it was, she would trust him. "Trust me."

"Yea, trust her commander. . .trust her." Chris grinned evilly, grabbing Mac's arm forcefully and heading with her into the bushes.

2221 Zulu  
Raymond Levine's Home  
Alexandria, Virginia

"Are things as they should be?" Ray said nervously into the phone. For all of his planning and preparedness, he really didn't think that a lowly set of JAG lawyers would have rattled him so badly.

("He's still not arrived, Raymond. . .Tell me again why I should believe you?" Temir's voice asked over the line, anger evident as his accent became more pronounced. "First, you want me to use the Commander, then you want him dead, now. . .I am not sure what to believe anymore.")

The plan had been worked on and revised for nearly three years. It was to be a joint effort between the Taliban and rogue members of the CIA. It's conception began in the mind of one Raymond Levine who had grown tired of his Nation's lack of support for the agency. The attacks on America had given a good blow to their credibility and as a result other agencies were getting the missions formerly handed to the CIA. He was tired of it and needed something drastic to happen, something that would get people's attention.

The idea was to have several people on the inside, with fingers in as many pies as possible. Then he would pick a select few to join him, some wouldn't even have a clue what they were up to. He wanted to steal a plane, but not just any plane, the prestigious Aurora, a plane created for the use of the agency. Then, he would need a pilot, but not just any pilot, one who had intimate knowledge of the plane and it's features – something few, even it's engineers were familiar with. Enter Harmon Rabb junior.

Clayton Webb had helped out here, not knowing that his conversations with Ray Levine were only feeding the man's insane plans. He'd spoke to Raymond over drinks about the woman he'd lost to a former pilot, a man that he'd sometimes wished would have been killed while working for the agency. Upon searching through Harm's files, Ray found what he needed; a former Navy pilot turned lawyer who just so happened to be very well briefed on the Aurora. It was almost as if God had guided his hand, Temir even insisted it was Allah's wish.

He was patient as he rose through the ranks of the CIA, finally becoming the Assistant Deputy Director made things much easier, like his request to have two pilots of his choosing (the two that Temir had killed for wanting more money) as the trainee's for Watson and Rabb. Once Temir got a hold of the planes, he could do what he wanted, but was ordered to keep one of the pilots aboard in order to test his men. Eventually, the planes would be loaded with the armament Temir's men had stolen from the Canadian Army.

There was no money passed between Temir or Levine, only the understanding that Temir was to attack US interests anywhere he saw fit. Levine was to make it seem that the lack of funding for the CIA, the missions being taken away from them, were the core reasons why the attacks had happened. The end result was for Levine to capture a few unsuspecting people involved including Temir's men, who were more than happy to give their lives for Allah, and whatever military pilot was involved in training the men. Thus, it would prove that the CIA needed to have interests in aspects of the military.

Unfortunate for both men, one key part of their plan escaped and neither had a clue as to his whereabouts. That was until Levine got a call from a friend in Corner Brook, a friend that happened to be the guide that led Harm and Mac into the mountains. If the two should have lost their way, two of Temir's team players would lay in wait, posing as mountain people. Finally, it was Levine's decision, as he never really trusted Temir too much, to send Major Chris Steele, creep extraordinaire, to shadow Harm and Mac.

"I sent my nephew in after them. . . I trust him, he is a deadly weapon. He'll make sure Rabb is brought to you." Things couldn't be quite over for Ray yet, but things had to fall into place quickly before Creswell and the others found another way to pry. Offing the three was a viable idea, but people would be suspicious and in his nervous state, he didn't need any mistakes that would point to him. So, he had his team beef up security within the CIA/related mainframes. They were sealed up better than Fort Knox. Well, he hoped they were. "We need to move quickly. . . Once he arrives get out of your location, have him fly the planes elsewhere."

(Temir didn't like that idea. He was fine in his hideout, his agreements with certain higher ups – created by a nice exchange of money – had given him a nice hideout and a perfect place to hide the planes. "I remind you that having Rabb as the pilot was your fault. . .My men could have learned it with the two you had picked.")

He was right, they could have learned from the two trainees that Andy and Harm had taken up, but Ray didn't want to take chances. Neither of the two were as briefed on the Aurora as Rabb and Watson. "You were a bit hasty on killing them, Temir."

("They were greedy. . .wanting more money. You told me they were expendable.")

"And I told you to watch Rabb closely, that Clayton Webb had mentioned his stubbornness, you should have heeded that."

(Temir laughed angrily into the phone. "I tortured the man as much as I could, I assure you he was never left alone. Besides, your people should have had him picked up at the boarder, such was the request I made you, no?")

"Look, we are going in circles. . .Suffice to say that Rabb is on the way, if he doesn't make it in a day or two, have your people comb the area for him." Ray's voice sounded surer than he really was. From the things Clay had said about Harm, he was slightly worried. Now, if Chris did his job and used MacKenzie against Rabb, that was a different story altogether. That certainly would work.

Brittany – It usually ends pretty well. I am still debating wether to start a third story or not, preferably I don't want to leave this story with a cliffhanger either way ;)

Cristina – No going insane, you have to worrya bout the baby! ;)

Carby – Chris sucks, but he will get his soon ;) I think ;)

Joanoa – Well, since Cresswell doesn't exactly follow his people home, he could go away with it. It's called UA.

Aserene – Wouldn't be fun if the CIA didn't poke around. . . At least H and M are handling it together. Unlike Paraguay :P

Jaggurl – Oh I can get evilier. ;) Trust me. ;)

NK – Oye que! We've been cliffhangerless for a while :P Oh, I am like roadkill who got shocked back to life. I'll live… :P

Froggy – Yep, and they even tossed in this fluffy bathrobe for ten bux. Hehehe ;)

Harmfan – You might get your wish about Chris soon. ;)

Jtbwriter - what is funny I had made him up on this story quite a bit before we started getting much info on VicPukeick LOL! Besides Chris is a Marine and VicPuke is a poor excuse for a naval officer. ;)


	11. Payback’s A Bitch pt 2

Woooh... Okay, I promised Part 11 today and it's technically thursday. Thanks for all of the support with this nutty story. After chewing on it a bit, I will do a third which will bring back an enemy of Harm's and majorly tie up a lose end. I was going to do it as a stand alone, but, I wrote a part today that works along with these three. So much for me repeating that I'd never to a series again. shakes head

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

PART 11 – Payback's a Bitch pt 2.

2223 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

"Lay down, Sarah." Chris commanded, once he found an area that seemed suitable. From his vantage point, he could still see Harm. Not that it mattered, since the Commander seemed to be pretty passed out. He leaned the AK against a nearby tree. After Mac did as told, he tried smiling charmingly at her, all the while working on unbuttoning his jacket. "Now you aren't going to do anything stupid are you? If you do, after I am done here, I'll finish him off."

Mac cringed, "I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt him."

"Good." As Chris finished removing his jacket, Mac tried to keep an eye on Harm. He wasn't at the spot she had left him, which meant he was coming for her. Chris would never know what hit him.

She wrapped her legs around him, drawing him close forcefully to keep his attention on nothing but her. "Just get this over with."

Chris liked it, he liked it a little too much. "Feisty, I like that." He moved down to kiss Mac, but in that instant, something cracked behind him and the warrior was awakened. Turning around in a quick movement, he managed to roll away when Harm swung a large, heavy piece of bark at him. Mustering a force, Harm raised it over his head and brought the bark down on the ground, but Chris spun away and came up to his feet. "Rabb, you don't play nice."

"I usually do, but not when it comes to slime like you, Major." Harm went to swing again, the bark hitting Chris on his forearm, but the Major seemed to barely notice. "What the?"

Angling his wrist to capture the piece of wood in his hand, Chris spun around quickly kicking Harm solidly in the chest. "Tst, tsk, tsk. . . Sailors can't play with Marine's, Commander. . .You'll never win."

By this time, Mac was on her feet, moving to reach the AK without Chris noticing, but she was too late. A knife flew through the air, nearly cutting through her hand, imbedding itself in the tree as she reached for the rifle. She turned to see Chris' satisfied smirk being wiped away as Harm tackled him. The two meant wrestled on the ground, each trying for control, but it was clearly Chris the stronger of the two, though it would have been different if Harm had been perfectly healthy. Grabbing the AK, Mac made to fire a few rounds in the air, hoping to pull the men apart. But, when she pulled the trigger, nothing happened. As swiftly as possible, she cocked the gun, only to find the mechanism jammed. "C'mon, you bastard!" She tried several solutions, but the AK was vehement in not working for her. "Damnit!" Turning, she found Chris atop of Harm, strangling him. "NO!" Grabbing the AK, she ran at Chris, hitting him on his back with the butt of the rifle. The Major fell off of Harm, who lay in the ground coughing, trying to get his breathing under control.

Chris was down for all of two seconds before he came to his knees, growling at her. "You'll pay for that, MacKenzie." He made to launch himself at Mac, but she moved just in time, using her leg to trip him up.

"You wanted to spar with me, Steele, well you got what you wished for. . .But, it may not be a good idea to play with me." She came into a fighters stance and taunted him to try again. When he did, she flipped him over, brining him onto his back. "What? The Big Bad Marine asshole can't defeat a woman?"

Chris made to sweep her legs, but Mac jumped at the right moment, then took a few steps away from him. "You're good, MacKenzie, I'll give you that. . .But, I'm better." He stood and launched himself at Mac, stopping abruptly to destroy her timing, only to tackle her down to the ground.

Harm, after managing to start breathing again, looked up to find Chris pinning Mac down, he made to rush to her aid, when he heard an un-human-like groan come from her. "No." He ran over to the two, grabbing Chris by the back of his jacket. Harm pulled him off of Mac and saw the blood between the two. "No!. . . Mac?" There was blood on her hands, her shirt, and the look in her eyes ran a chill up and down his spine. "Mac?"

"Don't mess with a female Marine." Mac said, slowly coming up to stand next to her partner.

Chris lay on the ground attempting to remove the large knife which was sticking through the palm of his hand. "You. . .won't. . .make. . .it. . .out. . .alive." He said, as he removed the knife holding it tightly with his other hand. He didn't scream, it was almost as if he didn't feel pain as he rose himself up.

Harm stood in front of Mac, using his body to block her away from the Major. "Stay back, Sarah." He knew she'd eventually give him an earful for his heroics, but he didn't care.

"It's just. . .a flesh wound." There was this wild, angry look in Chris' eyes that made him look like something out of the Terminator movie. It was surreal how he stood and now moved cautiously towards the two. "I've been stabbed before. . .shot. . . tortured, you name it." The blood dripped from his injured hand, but his uninjured one held the knife at an attack angle. "They need you Commander. I have orders to bring you in. . .but you _Colonel_, you're expendable." He launched himself at the two of them, aiming to wound Harm in order to get to Mac.

But, she never gave him the chance. Instead, Mac took Harm out of the equation. It all happened almost as if in slow motion. She tripped Harm up, then pushed him away from her, sending him to the ground. When Mac looked up, Chris was just two feet away. Turning she was able to lock his wrist under her arm, then with her other, she elbowed him, but Chris still wouldn't release his hold on the knife. From his angle, he yanked his hand up, trying to slice at Mac's face, but in the way she'd moved, he ended up nicking his own cheek.

Mac brought her boot down on his foot as hard as possible, then put her hip into his stomach, bending with a hard force that sent Chris over her head and onto the ground. In the momentum, she managed to take the knife from him, an act that she was sure she'd never be able to duplicate. Steele flipped onto his feet squatting low, attempting to tackle Mac's legs. With a blood curling yell, she lunged at him, knife in hand. Being dazed from his head hitting the ground just a few seconds earlier, he didn't have the equilibrium to move swiftly, this was the advantage Mac needed.

The knife cut through his skin just to the side of his sternum. For good measure, Mac turned the blade slightly then pulled it out, a tactical move taught to her by Uncle Matt. Steele glanced up at her with a sick expression in his eyes. For a moment both Harm and Mac thought he'd attack again, that the monster would not die, but they finally got reprieve. By the light of the moon, Mac saw the blood pooling from his body. Major Christopher Steele was dead. Unceremoniously, she tossed the knife to the ground, imbedding it just a foot away from the Major.

Mac rose her hand up to see the dark blood dripping from her fingers. Death wasn't supposed to be part of a JAG officer's life, yet, every step she took, it was always there. As Harm's arms wrapped around her, she sank into him, thankful they were both still alive, disgusted that someone else had died by her hand. "I'm sorry." He said in a gentle voice as he held her. "I'm sorry you had to go through any of this."

She stared back a Chris and a sense of anger bubbled through her veins. What he was planning to do to her was unforgivable. "Bastard had it coming. . .I know he did." Mac looked into Harm's eyes, reassuring him that she would be okay. "We have to finish this, Harm. . . Finish it and get the hell home."

Moving her out of his embrace, Harm walked to their packs and reached for both his and her canteen. "Give me your hands Mac." He used some of the water to wash her hands of the Major's blood.

Mac watched as his hands tenderly washed her own, removing the remnants of the horror she had to endure. He then reached to un-tuck his undershirt, using the bottom of it to dry her hands. Looking into his eyes she found a guilt that matched her own, he was blaming himself for her being here and there was nothing she could do to change that. Moving away, she reached into the packs, handing over the medication that Harm needed to take. "Take them, I'm sorry I didn't realize you hadn't taken them back at the cabin."

Without argument, he did as told, then slipped the bottle into his pocket. The silence was cut through when the sound of some sort of beeping noise caught them off guard. Harm followed the sound, tracing it over to Chris' body. From his belt, Harm pulled out a walkie-talkie. The sound was down low, but he could hear a voice, a man's voice over the line. Raising the volume up, the voice was clearer. "Christopher? Major. . .answer me!"

Mac glanced at Harm and shook her head. Pressing the button, he spoke. "Major Steele is dead. . .but you can speak to me."

(The voice on the other side wasn't familiar to either of them, but Harm would bet his bank account that it was someone in the CIA. "Commander Rabb, I suspect?")

"Yes. . .And you are?"

("You don't know me and you don't need to know me. I suspect that Colonel MacKenzie is with you as well?)

Mac went to speak, but Harm waved her off. "Colonel MacKenzie is the reason the Major is dead, he attacked her. . ." Trailing off, he left it as ambiguous as possible, which was confusing her, what was he trying to do?

("Well, I did tell him that the Colonel was expendable. . .We know you where you are heading and you won't be able to get away with whatever you are trying Commander.")

"Well, I'm still going to try." Harm took the walkie-talkie and smacked it into the first rock he found.

When Mac went to ask him why he suggested that she were dead, a sound brought them back to the present. "That sounds like a car." She grabbed her pack and slipped it on, then went through Chris' pack in order to retrieve hers and Harm's guns.

Harm took his own pack and headed up the hill in the direction of the noise. From the top, they both squatted down and he pulled out the binoculars. "Those are Temir's men. . . We must be close. . . They stole another piece of a convoy."

"Convoy?" Mac squinted, but she really couldn't make out what Harm was trying to explain to her.

"I overheard them talking once. . .They've been stealing things off of convoys for the Canadian Army. . .Ammunition, guns.. . .God knows what else."

"God knows what they have planned. . .Maybe they want to arm the planes?"

That brought the light bulb up over Harm's head. "When we started training for the Aurora the plan was to, eventually, mount it with some sort of nuke that the DOD was working on. . .Since the planes fly so high up, you wouldn't be able to target where the attack came from." He handed the binoculars over to Mac who glanced down into the area, cringing slightly at how Temir's men stacked two dead bodies, those belonging to members of the Canadian Army, into the truck. "I guess they are going to get rid of evidence."

Harm took the binoculars from her, and did a once over on the dirt roads and the terrain. There was a tree in an odd shape next to this massive rock, it was almost like 'x' marking the spot. "I remember driving past this on the Jeep. . .We're close." He said excitedly. "Maybe a day away." Quietly, they waited for Temir's men to drive away to get a better idea of the heading they should be taking. With whatever was left of the map, Harm deduced they should head straight north.

Though this was, somewhat, good news, Mac saw the sheen of sweat on Harm's face and the slight trembling of his hands. He needed to rest, for that matter, she did too. "We'll head off once we get some shut eye."

"Are you crazy?" He said roughly, glaring at Mac as if she'd grown two heads. "We can't just sit here."

But, she wasn't going to let him push himself to the breaking point. "Yes, we can. . .You need to rest Harm. You barely made it this far and don't give me any bullshit that you were faking it to get the drop on Steele."

His mouth open and closed a few times, yes, he'd faked the gravity of how bad he was feeling, but she had a point. His body was already protesting. "Fine. . .but just a few hours."

Mac smiled then pointed down and to her left. "I hear water coming from there, might be a good place to set up camp and get cleaned up."

"Lead on."

2310 Zulu  
SECNAV Sheffield's Office  
Pentagon  
Washington, DC

Sheffield was seething, if he had his way, he would have the three before him tarred, feathered and then hanged. Just like his predecessor, he wanted things done by the book and without sticking his six into certain aspects of the Navy's arena. What sent him over the edge the most was that things, despite the change of command in JAG ops, still ran like a circus over at Falls Church. So much for choosing a Marine with his rules, regs and decorum. "When I appointed you into the position of Judge Advocate General, I expected things to stop being run like an asylum." He stood before the Marine General, ignoring the mans two other cohorts who he'd attack in a moment. "I expected things to be run smoothly, but since Christmas, things have become like a circus!"

He paced behind the three men who were standing at attention, longing to be able to beat some sense into their skulls, but Sheffield doubted it would do much. "First, I find that one of your senior officers has been going through some sort of counseling for over a year now. Non of which was reported, I might add. . . Second, Commander Rabb goes missing and is claimed to be a traitor. Then, I find that Colonel MacKenzie can't seem to follow orders and decided to snoop into CIA business. . .Now, I have you three clowns to answer for." He slammed his hand against the desk, but non of the three flinched, that irritated the SECNAV even more. "Do you know that the Deputy Director of the CIA has phoned me with the disturbing news that two of my JAGs along with their commanding officer, has been making threats against him and the Agency?"

Creswell grinned slightly, so Levine was going to try the political approach first. Good, that gave them more time to plan things. "Mr. Secretary, I'll have you know that the Deputy Director of the CIA has been involved in treasonous affairs. And, as a result, has made Commander Rabb his scapegoat."

But, SECNAV wasn't in the mood to hear about that, as far as he was concerned, the traitors were standing in his wake. "Where is Colonel MacKenzie?"

"If you spoke to Mr. Levine, I am sure you know where she is and who she is with."

Sheffield nodded. "_If_ she comes back, I want the Colonel written up on UA charges, disobeying a direct order and treason."

Creswell shook his head. "No, sir. . .She did not disobey an order, I allowed her to join the Commander and she has time on the books, a UA charge won't stick."

"I believe I ordered you to leave everything having to do with Rabb alone. . .I ordered _you_, General, to pass that information onto your staff and that includes Colonel MacKenzie. As far as I am concerned, she disobeyed _my_ direct order and what I say goes."

"Sir, you are being used because of the power you have over my office. . .And when all of this comes to its resolution, I want an apology to Commander Rabb, Colonel MacKenzie and the members of my staff. . . and I want them in writing."

Sheffield came up as close to Creswell as he dared. "How _dare_ you threaten me, Creswell? I'll have your ass sitting in the brig faster than you scan say 'Semper Fi.'"

"With all due respect, no you won't sir." Bud took this chance to speak up for the General, something that cause the other three men to glare at the young Lt. Commander. He fished through his briefcase and pulled out a file which he tossed on Sheffield's desk. "I think you'll find those illuminating."

During the day, Bud managed to contact Millie Shaker, a 'friend' who formerly worked in the Naval Records office and somehow wound up working for the CIA. Millie always had a thing for Bud, something that he didn't dwell on since he was happily married, but it did give the Lt. Commander a bit of an ego boost. Shaker had long since become proficient in computers and technology, Bud put that knowledge to good use. The information stated that it was Raymond Levine who had Rabb's flight plan changed to have him land at Groom Lake. Where that wasn't detrimental, there was also a snafu, something that occurred too early, or at least, earlier than reported – another memo sent through the ranks that Rabb was to be considered a traitor for the theft of the Aurora planes. That memo was sent out at least fifty minutes before Andy and Harm took to the air.

Sheffield read through the information and slid into his chair when he came upon the final paper in the file. "I don't get what you are trying to do?"

"The times, sir, check the times." Sturgis said with urgency. He separated the two papers, one with flight plans and the other with the memo. "The flight of the two planes went out without a hitch, there wasn't a problem until the CIA believed they went punched out. At least, that is the story we had and the story they fed every other agency. . . Then, sometime later, when the Colonel starting snooping around, Clayton Webb gave her a conflicting report, that the Commander was alive and engaging in treasonous affairs." Taking a pen from his breast pocket, Sturgis circled a few of the numbers on the pages. "If Commander Rabb and Mr. Watson took off from Groom Lake at 1520. . .and the memo was sent at 1430, we can deduce that they were lying."

"That's a fifty minute difference." Now Sheffield was getting it, he took a look at the sheets before him then stared blankly at the General. "Given the time it took them to prepare, the briefing of the mission. . ." He said, calculating things in his mind. "When did the CIA say that he punched out?"

Sturgis looked at the paper and circled the numbers. "About an hour and a half into the flight."

Taking off his glasses, Sheffield scrubbed his face, he'd been duped. "You do realize it'll be your word against theirs? They'll deny this information existed and probably go after the three of you for taking it in the first place."

"We're prepared to take any responsibility, what we need Mr. Secretary is time for Rabb and MacKenzie to come back home. I suspect they'll find more than enough evidence to link Levine with the disappearance of the Aurora's."

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

Creswell smiled. "For now, just prepare to make a statement that will clear both the Commander and the Colonel. Also, be ready to take Levine down. . . You know that your political contacts will help, hell, most of them want to destroy the CIA and build it back up. Here's their chance, and you can lead the way."

Sheffield thought it over for a bit. It would be nice to reconfigure the agency to standards that actually worked. It would be even better if all government security branches would work together rather than apart, this would be the way to start. "It is temping, General, very tempting. . . But, Mr. Levine must believe that you are no longer interested in his affairs. Or, rather, that I ordered you to stop meddling."

"Done." The General extended his hand to Sheffield who shook it. Bud, Sturgis and Creswell made to leave the office, when the General stopped and turned. "By the way, you know I've never been interested in the political side of being _the_ JAG. . .If, in any way, shape or form you screw with me or my people, I will use anything I have to come after you, Mr. Secretary."

With that, the three headed out of the Pentagon, leaving Secretary Sheffield with his mouth agape.

Harmfan – Yea, I like the Harm and Mac of this story, it's like the Harm and Mac of old with a twist. :) So do you like how Chris was handled?

Carby – I am a cliffhanger fan, don't know why. Maybe I need therapy? Probably LOL!

Nk – LOL! Temir the Terrorist LOL! Love that. Yep, I've been waiting and waiting and waiting to let people know just HOW Levine was involved and it worked well in that brief section because, you know as much junk as I've stuffed in the story, I would have forgotten LOL!

Froggy – Stop biting them nails and sit back! ;P Jeez! Clones will arrive soon. They are attaching certain ummm parts. ;)

Manday – Best idea I've ever heard ever! A two hour episode of JAG! With all harm and all Mac preferably together all day long in bed…. Sorry, that wasn't the idea was it? But could we take that instead of my story? ;) I created Chris before VicPuke came up on JAG but if it works with you to put Chris and VicPuke together, sure go for it:D

Jtbwriter – Hmmm no reading before bedtime! It's bad! BAD I TELL YOU! Mousturner? You know what I read? Moisturizer. Jeeezus I need help LOL!

So we all at peace now that Christopher is kaput? ;)


	12. Intentional Surrender

Okay, so last I checked, this baby has 16 parts. There is going to be a lot of back and forth with emotions from both Harm and Mac. My point being? They are only human, as much as they are trained or what not. Harm has a lot to deal with too.

Hope you like! Thanks for all of the feedback, I am trying to get back to everyone, bare with me, sometimes I have a few things out of Fanfic land to deal with. :)

Have a good Monday (LOL!)

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

PART 12 – Intentional Surrender

0250 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

Sleep came easy for Harm as the exhaustion had managed to batter his body. Mac had waited until he was dozing, then moved away from him. Someone needed to keep watch. If Chris was able to find them, so could anyone else and she wasn't going to risk another ambush. Cautiously, she placed Chris' AK-47, which she'd managed to get working again, against a tree. She squatted down by the stream and cupped some of the water which was used to cleanse her face. Mac bit back the cold feeling, then grabbed her canteen, filled it up then dropped a purifying tablet in it. Taking Harm's canteen she took the same measure, ensuring he had something to drink once he woke up. Mac took a post near a massive rock, leaning against it, trying to find an uncomfortable position to keep her awake.

When Harm awoke he was slightly confused at his surroundings. Mercifully his mind only conjured up dreams of him and Mac in the cabin. It had been forever since he could close his eyes and not see Temir and his torture techniques. Now, all they had to do was get home and he was sure he'd completely heal. Rolling onto his side, he found Mac leaning up against a rock, the AK held against her chest as if she'd been protecting US government interests. He watched her for a while as her eyes scanned the area with a vigilance that only Marines seemed to be able to pull off. As he lay there, he couldn't help but put blame on himself for all of this, for her involvement. He never should have gone to her apartment, all he did was look for trouble and place the woman he loved in a situation he wasn't sure how to control.

Mac moved slightly, using her foot to propel herself away from the rock she was leaning on. With his eyes, Harm followed as she headed up the hill and away from his vantage point. Worried, he get out of his makeshift bed, his elbow bumping against the canteen Mac had left for him. He reached into his pocket, grabbing the medicine bottle and taking both the anti-opiate and vitamins at the same time. With a long gulp from the canteen he swallowed them down, then headed off after Mac.

Moving up the hill, she headed towards where Chris' body lay on the ground. She stared down at his still figure. Yes, in the heat of their sparring she meant to kill him, to end his life for trying to hurt her, for him wanting to hurt Harm. But, she was still human, feeling the guilt for taking a human life. With a sigh, she took to the terrain, finding several fallen branches that she could use to cover his body. Evil or not, the man deserved some sort of burial. "What are you doing, Mac?" Harm asked as he cautiously walked up behind her. She didn't even flinch, then again, he knew she probably heard him coming.

"Covering the body." She grabbed a few branches, intending to drag them back to Steele's body when Harm stopped her. Her eyes refused to meet his for the guilt she felt at having him witness her murdering someone in cold blood. "Don't."

Harm tucked his finger under her chin, urging her head up so he could look in her eyes. "I love you, Mac. . . This isn't going to make me think less of you. . .He deserved what came to him, just like Pete and Marcy. . .They killed themselves when they tried to come after us."

Mac nodded. "I know. . .But, I'm human and he needs to have some form of burial. . .maybe God can grant him the forgiveness that I can't."

"Let me help." Harm said as he took the heavier branches and made his way to Steele's body. They covered him up as best as possible but neither of them bothered to say any words on his behalf. "Let's go, Mac."

The trek was much more forgiving that their previous ones, they'd only needed to rest three times before shoving off again. The streams in the area gave them plenty of chances to wash up and fill the canteens with fresh water. "How far away do you think we are?" Mac asked when they stopped to rest for the forth time. She took a long drink of water then poured some over her face. The weather had improved some, becoming warmer, but the wind blowing in odd intervals still kept some chill in the air.

Harm chanced a look at the tattered map, truth was, "I don't know. . .I mean, we could be there in an hour. . .we could have passed it. . .I just don't know." He tossed the map to the ground and stomped on it, something about the barbaric act easing some of the stress away. "Damnit. . .How could. . . How could this have gotten so screwed up? How could a routine cross-country flight have turned to THIS." In anger, he picked up a rock and hurled it through the air as a few muffled curses escaped his mouth.

Mac stepped close to him. Cupping his face in her hands, she angled him so that he'd look at her. "Harm, stop. . .Take a deep breath and stop. . .We're going to get out of this."

"No, we're not." He said it with such conviction that Mac realized that is exactly what he believed, that they weren't going to make it out. "You think they're going to let us just walk out of here? They won't. . .They'll kill me when they get what they want. . .And if they figure out you're still alive, they'll kill you too."

"You don't talk like that."

Harm could feel her eyes burning into him, but it wasn't going to change the fact that he was resigning all positive feelings. The closer he got to Temir's camp, the more he felt the pain in his body like ghosts haunting him. It was that which he feared the most, getting captured and tortured. Worst yet, if they caught Mac would they do the same to her? In the back of his mind he could see her begging him to end her life, just as Andy Watson had begged him. And he couldn't take that type of pain knowing she was in danger because of him. "What do you want me to say, Mac?. . .That everything is going to be fine? That we'll get the planes, fly off and head home like nothing happened? I've tried, okay? I've tried to believe that this was going to be okay, that things were going to be fine."

"I'm not pulling the wool over my eyes, if that is what you think. I knew this would be dangerous, I knew things were bound to happen. But, I wasn't going to let you do this alone." He tried to look away from her, but Mac kept her hands on the side of his face, keeping his eyes on hers. "I love you. I trust you and I believe in you." Why was it so easy for them to declare their love for each other so unabashed? Would it still be the same once they went home? She shook her head of those thoughts and tried to be his strength as he faltered.

"I just don't want them to get to you, Mac." His eyes filled with tears as his mind reminded him, yet again, that he'd put her in this situation. All in all, it went back to Paraguay, to Webb doing the same thing he had – placing the woman he loved in danger. "I don't want you to be hurt again."

Mac brushed the tears away. "I told you. . .You won't hurt me."

"It's not me hurting you that I am worried about right now." He turned away from her, then bent over to retrieve the map. "It's what they'd do to you if they catch you." He shook the dirt out of he map and turned back to her. "I mean. . ."

Raising her hand, Mac silenced anything else he was going to say. She heard something, a very familiar something in the distance. The noise was coming closer, a whomp, whomp, whomp, noise that could only come from, "A helo. . . Get down." She pushed him into the brush, ducking down as the helicopter passed over them at an irregular altitude then proceeded forward.

"C'mon, Mac." Grabbing her hand, Harm pulled her from the brush and headed after the chopper.

Mac tugged him back. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Following it. . .It might lead us to Temir." He tried pulling her again, but Mac eased her hand out of his and crossed her arms. "What is it?"

"One minute you are against moving another inch, now you are blindly following some helo?"

"Do you have a better plan?"

"No, but. . ."

"So let's go." Harm sighed when Mac didn't bother moving. "Look, we can either do that or try to decipher the map that I ruined, take your pick."

With a huff, Mac walked passed him towards the noise that was starting to fade away. "Fine."

They set off walking as quickly as possible, following the sound of the rotor blades. Though they couldn't keep up with it, in reality, they really didn't have to as, five minutes later Harm and Mac were staring down into Temir's compound. Crawling on their bellies, they moved to the edge of a cliff which was just fifty feet above the west side of the compound.

In a flash, Harm was transported back to the day he first arrived. He didn't remember being taken off of the plane, he was unconscious then, but he did remember the first time he awoke in a strange place, in the freezing cold. He closed his eyes, breath hitching slightly at the memory of waking up on a cold stone floor, by a steel-toe boot that belonged to Robert Gimmel, one of the pilots he and Andy Watson were supposed to be training.

With eyes open, his line of vision went straight to the barn, the place he called The Terror Room. His body shook suddenly as a wave of tortured thoughts went through his mind. Harm couldn't end up there again, but, somehow, he knew it would happen until they got what they wanted from him. "Oh God."

Mac noticed the change in him the moment they came up on the place. He'd become rigid and his breathing was anything but normal. She reached out and wiped away the solitary tear that fell from his eye. "Harm, stay with me. . . Don't let your head take you back there." She knew what he was going through, because she'd been through the exact same thing, even after killing Sadik.

"I'm going to let myself get caught." He said without preamble. That was his master plan, to walk down there, pretending they wouldn't notice and just get caught. "And you're going to stay up here until I signal you to come down."

Whatever plans she was hoping for, this was certainly not it. "That's a suicide mission."

"No, they need me." He whispered, "They won't kill me because they need me to fly the planes. . .The worse they can do is. . .is."

"I'm going with you." Mac couldn't stand to know he'd go down there alone. Sure, she was some form of back up, but what the hell could she do from fifty feet away and with no chance in seeing what was going on in the small buildings?

"No, Mac. . .If the guy over the radio is in contact with Temir, then they think you are dead. . .I'm going to use that bit of misinformation. . ."

Damnit, this wasn't the first time his ideas sounded insane to her, but, there wasn't anything she could use to argue with. Mac had to concede. "Fine. . .but leave the AK here. . .Not that it would do any good since I don't have x-ray vision." She said under her breath to which Harm had to chuckle. Mac turned and stared at him pointedly. "That's not funny."

Harm slid the AK to her and smiled. "We have a lot of things to talk about when we get home."

Mac nodded. "I know." Damnit, why was this so difficult? They'd been in dangerous situations before. They've gone to face evil before. Why was this eating her up inside. Wordlessly, she leaned forward and kissed him slowly. 'You're not kissing him goodbye.' She told herself as she ended the kiss and put on a brave face for his sake.

"I'll signal you when things are alright down there." He motioned down towards the barn. "The planes are on the other side." Leaning forward, he gave her a quick kiss, then started to find a way down the hill.

Her voice stopped him. "Harm?" Abruptly, he turned around to find a solemn expression on her face. 'It wouldn't happen again.' She vowed silently to herself, years ago, standing in front of a mirror as she was trying on her wedding dress. Since then, even when she was angry with him, she'd never forgotten. "I was supposed to wish you good luck. . ." Good luck, a simple term that had turned her life upside down one night in May of 2001. Even now, she carried the guilt for what he went through because she was too hurt back then to realize he was hurting too. "Good luck."

Harm smiled at her, one that actually reached his eyes. "Stay safe, Sarah." It was one of the most difficult things he ever had to, but he turned and left Mac there, hoping that the God that failed to answer his prayers would at least keep her safe.

He half walked, half slipped down a sloped section of the hill, the momentum being stopped as he grabbed on to a thin tree. Using the tree for support, he reached into his pack and pulled out the binoculars. There were two guard nearest him, both of them fast asleep against the rocks of the hill. He tucked the binoculars back into his pack and, while holding the tree for support, hopped down about four feet to a ledge beneath. The sound of rock sliding off of the hill brought of the guards onto his feet in seconds.

Using a high powered light, he scanned the area, passing Harm's now prone figure. The man walked slowly up the hill bringing the light directly to the area where Harm was laying. From high above, Mac lay with her own binoculars in hand. She wished that somehow, she'd be able to discreetly take care of the guard, but there was nothing discreet about firing an AK-47. Instead, she waited with baited breath.

Another man walked out into the area and she could just make out the conversation in Farsi. The other man suggested that it was probably a wild animal, but the guard nearing Harm's position wasn't sure, he wanted to check further. "Damnit." She said softly.

Harm wanted to get caught and hopefully he'd be able to find a way to get him and Mac out of this whole mess; he had a few plans. However, he'd hoped to at least give the sneaky approach a shot, but as the guard got closer to him, that chance was gone. Until the other man showed up. They were speaking in Farsi, that much he could tell, but what they were saying was another story. If he ever needed Mac by his side, now was the time.

The guard moved closer to him, it would be literally five more steps before he'd be over his prone figure. But, after a bit more discussion, the man relented and turned away. Harm let out a deep breath in relief. In his position he waited as the men rounded the barn and moved out of his line of sight. Then, he stood up and made it the rest of the way down the hill. Ducking behind a small shack, he studied the area, the guards were headed back towards his position and he had, maybe seconds to try and slip his way into the nearest building. Unfortunately, the nearest thing was the barn. He ran towards it, then stopped to slip his way in through the rear which had a hole big enough for him to maneuver through.

Harm removed his pack and slipped it through the hole then, after squeezing his way through, he popped out inside. He was in the section that they'd used to house the armament Temir had been stealing. Looking around, he saw various things, rpgs, grenades. The walls were lined with bombs, the types that could be mounted on airplanes.

He headed farther through the back and immediately his nostrils filled with a familiar, nauseating smell. Death lived there, it was all around from the seared flesh on the metal table to the blood on the ground. And he wasn't even inside the main section where Temir and his men would commit such horrible atrocities. He took a calming breath, put the pack back on and stayed low as he maneuvered through the dimly lit barn.

"Again." A voice that would be the host of his nightmares said, followed by the sound of a live current. Through a hole in the wooden walls, Harm peaked through. There was a man hanging from chains off of the high beams of the barn. His feet were at least two feet off of the ground and he was soaked through. Temir stood by him, whispering things and then laughing as his men used the steel wool and batteries on their latest subject. Harm closed his eyes the moment the wool came to the man's body again. His screams ricocheted through the main room of the barn as Harm suppressed the want to sob.

But, the need for revenge was greater and it would be fairly easy to take Temir down now that he was busy with a new play thing. Harm reached behind his back and pulled out the pistol. As the latest victim's screams began once again, he took that chance to reload and cock the weapon. He held it in his hand with determination, but his fear shown around the edges when he couldn't control the shaking of his hand. "Shit." He cursed quietly as his sanity was regained once again. If he killed Temir now, he wouldn't have a chance, neither would Mac. Temir's men would come after him and he'd be just as good as dead. No, he had to surrender himself, damn the consequences and find another way. So, he waited until they extracted the last scream from their toy. And then, he made his move.

Harm headed through the barn, glancing with disgust at the tank still filled with murky, putrid water. They had dunked him in their the day that he'd killed Andy Watson. Sure, Watson had begged him for it, but he still died by Harm's hand. Even now, he wondered what he'd have done if there was another bullet left in the gun. Would he have shot himself? Ended it all for the sake of not suffering any more pain? He knew the answer to that: yes. And with him, he'd take all of his secrets, but he'd also take regret of never getting to experience anything with Sarah MacKenzie.

The smell was starting to get to him, so much that he was physically trying not to gag. He shuffled slowly through the bloody floors and as he tried to make his way out of the barn, he came face to face with no other than Temir himself. "Commander, it's very nice to find you back here. . .very nice."

Well, so much for an intentional surrender, apparently Temir was more aware of his presence than he thought. "It's a pleasure to be back." Harm smartly replied, trying his best sarcastic smile for appearance sake. But, he wouldn't be smiling for long especially since Temir was holding a 45mm up to the head of one Sarah MacKenzie.

XBlue - You just like the violence! Admit it! Yea, I LOOOOVE Full Engagement. It's my fav JAG episode so this story was an homage to it. Originally, it was a bit MORE lke Full Engagement before I decided that "Something For the Pain" needed a sequel. Heheh Hope I did it justice of sorts. ;)

NK - Anti-CIA? Hmmm... Dunno, I am anti-CIA when it comes to JAG though. but, it's fun to write, better than having them in the damn courtroom all day. :P

Nix - Me too, apparently, I am a cliffhanger slut LOL! Horrible description, but it's true. I swear though, some aren't written purposely, they just leave off there. So I should start making "I (Heart) Cliffhangers!" Shirts? ;)

Harmfan - You want me to kill Levine? Hmmm... well, his demise is what is taking this story so damned long. Story three is going to be odd. It was a stand alone, but, I decided, since it goes along the lines of screwed up plot lines and some mental anguish, it would rock with this series. I'll hand out pepto to everyone though LOL!

Cristina - Another violent reader... Sheesh, I am creating little monsters. LOL! Chris' death was much better than I expected. Was a difficultish part to write for some odd reason.

NinjaTurtle - Yes, I often fight with odd men so that I can save my non-exsistant, injured boyfriend who put us in danger in the first place. LOL! But, shhh! ;) I love action thingies, originally Harm was going to take him out, but I figured, Mac has more of a beef with him. So she took him out. :D

Joanoa - I am all for offing Vicpuke, sorry if I am only one of the few who dislike him. I wouldn't if he'd respect Mac a bit more. Just thinking about Friday is making me turn green.

Froggy - Any nails left? ;)

Alix - Yea, the part with teh boys and SECNAV was fun. I was writing it going "this is a bit much" then figured. "Naaaaaaah!" Hehe Glad you dug it :) Harm and Mac's eventual victory? ;) Getting ahead of ourseelves aren't we:)


	13. Away From Me

Okie Dokie gang, here's part... 13. I spent several hours yesterday working on 14 and 15. I needed to do a little research for part 15, which, I think makes the chapter very cool. I might have to split it when posting, but we'll see, there are a few things to add.

Story three is called "The Thin Line" and it will follow along with these two stories. I am not sure of it's length, but the way it's outlined it looks like a 10-12 chapter story. Depending on where we are with the JAG season after it finishes, I'll either start posting "Getting Away With Murder" which is an AU H/M story or "Return To Me" which is a story that would pick up wherever this finale ends. Also an H/M story which would take place 3 years after the finale. Ironically enough, I started writing that either last summer or very early this season, before we knew much of what was going to happen and still, it works well. Weird how that happens. ;) Thre is also a smut story I work on on and off which is going to be an interesting little story in Mac's POV. – Obviously I can't post it here, but I'll let you guys know and you can e-mail me about it.

Okie so, here we go :) - This part is sorta fillerish/informativish. It gets better I promise!

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler, moonlight, southernqt, LiseGirardi, Jade and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

Part 13 – Away From Me

0300 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

"Harm, I'm sorry." She said with a frown. Mac wouldn't have been caught had she been paying more attention to her surroundings. But no, she was much too preoccupied with him and the guard that had nearly discovered him hiding in the brush. Another guard had snuck up behind her, one that she probably could have gotten the drop on. It was a bad move for a Marine. But, to be fair, for all of the training that she had and even as good as she was, this wasn't what she made a career out of. The man had grabbed her, taken her down this path that lead directly to the compound. There, she was handed to Temir who had known, all along, that the pair was there. He had equipment set up all around them and even on the mountain tops high above because he didn't like surprises.

Harm stood there thunderstruck his face ashen. "Let her go. . .It's me you want."

Temir chuckled. "Funny how compliant you become when I hold someone you care for. . .perhaps we should have sent for Colonel MacKenzie while you were still one of our favorite residents?" He tightened his grip on Mac, something that apparently caused her some pain.

"I thought you are taught not to harm women, or does Allah allow you to pick and chose which female to hurt?" He was bidding for time, or a least trying to find away to get her out of this disaster, but all he had done was anger the man more.

"Your attempts to educate me on my own religion are pathetic, Commander." With a sigh, he let go of Mac, thrusting her towards Harm who caught her. There was something he noticed right off, something that others hadn't, but Temir was much more astute than other capturers. 'You speak Farsi.' He said in the Persian language knowing he wasn't wrong about her.

Mac looked over at Harm then at Temir. 'Yes, I am fluent in Farsi.'

'You are not just fluent, Colonel, you have family that is Iranian, yes?' He noticed it in the color of her skin, the shape of her face and eyes. Mac had an otherworldly look about her, but clearly had American blood through her veins as well. Exotic would be the word to describe her and Temir was growing fond of the woman with each breath he took. 'You are afraid to answer, but I promise I will not hurt you. . .Torture is not the only thing we believe in.' Snapping his fingers he pointed to his men then to Harm and Mac as he instructed them in Farsi, 'Take them to the cabin, make sure they are both unharmed.' Turning he looked at Mac and smiled. 'Just make sure your Commander doesn't attempt sometime stupid again because, I assure you, I am not always this charitable. I am sure he could tell you some stories that will, surely, disturb you.'

That he had and it was far past disturbing. Mac bit her tongue from saying anything that would anger Temir, he gave her an opening, a small opening, but maybe she could use her newfound information to manipulate things in their favor. Temir's men were uncharacteristically gentle on both Harm and Mac as they led them through the compound towards the cabin. Two other men carried a cot each which were placed inside of the cabin along with Harm and Mac.

When they were completely alone, Harm turned to Mac. "What was all of that about? Out there?" He understood very few words in Farsi, and the words he did understand were ones that were used daily when he was kept there a month ago.

Mac stepped over to one of the cots and sat down, threading her fingers together. "I think he's attracted to me." She said simply as she tried to conjure up some idea as to how she could use that little tidbit.

That was news? "Yea, well, so is every other man who's laid eyes on you, but what else happened?"

"He said he wouldn't hurt me. . ." Chewing on her lower lip, Mac scanned the cabin, then set her eyes back on him. "Harm, maybe I can use that?"

"Use that how?"

Mac knew what she had to do, it was simple really, a means to survive. It was what she did with Sadik in order to get through it all. "To get close to him."

His eyes went wide with shock. They'd nearly gone through that trick almost a day earlier with Steele, what made her think he was going to risk it again? Out of their own volition, his legs made him pace around the cabin. "Oh no, no you aren't going to do that. . .No."

"Harm it could work and he won't hurt me. . ." Mac stood up and walked in front of Harm, stopping him from pacing and forcing him to look at her. "They aren't in it for sex. . . it's a control thing, Sadik had the same sick want. . .to control me. . .but, he was attracted to me at the same time. . .so it becomes a game, a struggle to see if they can control you without giving into the want."

As a man who desired her how he did, Harm knew all about control and the lack there of. Sure, he'd spent years controlling his want of her, but these men had no agenda, they didn't care and would just as easily use her body then kill her and that is what he was afraid of. "And what if he gives into it? . . .What then?"

"He won't." She replied with a confidence that she did feel. Mac knew how these men operated and women were a lower life form, she would use that to her advantage.

"You're too sure of yourself."

"It's a way to buy time, or at least a way for both of us to work on getting out of here with the Aurora's. . .I heard his men speaking. . .They are planning to attack Stateside, Harm. . ."

That caught his attention. As much as he wanted and needed to protect this woman, as officers they both had an obligation to their Country. With a frown, Harm sat on one of the cots. "I don't want to let you do this, but. . .be careful."

Mac lowered herself next to him and threaded her fingers through his. She brought his hand up and kissed his palm as her eyes locked onto his own. "I promise, but you have to do the same."

"Let's get some rest, we'll need it." Harm stood and pushed their cots together. Laying down, he wrapped his arms around her, brining their bodies together. There was no way in hell they were going to take her from him tonight. It had happened, too many times, that he'd been sleeping when one of the men that were locked up with him were taken. Often, he would awake to find himself either alone or with one less comrade to commiserate with. He felt Mac's breathing slow and knew she was falling asleep, apparently she was more exhausted than had let on. This gave Harm some time alone with his thoughts.

Everything he feared from before was happening now. He didn't want to be back in this hell if he ever made it out. Worst of all, he didn't want her here with him and now, that was a reality. In the depths of his mind, he could still hear the men being tortured, Andy Watson's screams as they held the steel wool to his body. He could still feel his lungs fighting for a breath as his head was held under putrid water. And the woman, he still remembered the woman that rescued him.

1302 Zulu  
CIA Headquarters  
Langley, Virginia

("He's here, with the woman." Temir's voice said over the line with a pleasant tone that Levine hadn't quite heard in a long, long time.)

But, there was something in his statement that rattled him. "The woman is alive?" So Rabb had tossed in a ruse, probably as a way to have MacKenzie keep watch over everything. "Commander Rabb had told me she was dead. . .Have your people found Major Steele?"

(Temir sighed, recovering Steele's body wasn't exactly high in his agenda. As much as he knew he had needed someone of Steele's talents, the way the man acted unnerved him. "Yes, my men have brought the body back, we'll find a way to send it to you." He rolled his eyes in annoyance, unfortunately, he needed to deal with Levine and if sending Steele's body back could keep peace between the two men, then he'd do that.)

Raymond was having trouble adjusting to the idea that his nephew was gone. He'd promised to look after the Major, he wanted so much for him to join the CIA and keep the family tradition, but Rabb and MacKenzie had destroyed his chances and now it was time for payback. "When Rabb finishes with your people, I want you to finish with him and MacKenzie. . .But I want them to suffer first, slow and painfully."

("As you wish, now, I must go. We have one more convoy to attack. May Allah be with you and your family." Temir hung up abruptly.)

Maybe they'd bitten off a bit more than they could chew? Maybe hiring terrorists to do his dirty work was a bit too ambitious. But, really, it was too well thought out for there to be so many mistakes. Of course, when Webb had requested Rabb for the job, it had come with a warning that the man was tenacious as hell and unwilling to quit. "And the morons cut him loose. . ." Under different circumstances, Rabb would have been his perfect secret agent and with some superior training, the perfect weapon.

1312 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

"Where is she? Damnit! Where is she?" Harm stood by the window, yelling out to anyone that passed by. He remembered going to sleep with Mac in his arms but when he woke up she was no where to be found. Getting no answer, he began to pace the cabin, trying to figure it all out. True, he'd always been a heavy sleeper, but Harm was sure, with the high tension of the situation, that he'd _feel_ someone taking her away from him. In the position they were sleeping – with his arm and leg draped over her – it was a little bit difficult for someone to run off with her and him not notice.

Then again, what if she was never there? Sadly, he sat down, his head falling into his hands. "Oh God, I am losing it aren't I?" What if it was all a dream, his escape, his being with her. What if he had always been in Temir's compound and Mac was tucked away safely in Washington. He didn't know which scenario he liked better, but if it meant that she would remain safe, he'd pick the latter.

But, she was there, only a few cabins over, seated on the floor along with Khadija, the woman who had helped Harm escape. The moment one of Temir's men had forced her to walk into the cabin, Mac knew who the woman was from the description Harm gave of her when talking about his past here.

"Khadija?" She whispered to the woman who seemed to turn away in disgust as Mac tried to converse with her. But, the Marine was vehement to start some conversation, herein may lie their way to freedom. "I know who you are, Khadija. The Commander, Harm?" She nodded when the woman turned to look at her. "He spoke of you. . .I know you helped him and I thank you."

The look of disdain didn't leave the woman even as she nodded and spoke. "You Mac, yes?"

Mac nodded. "Yes, it's short for my surname – MacKenzie. My first name is really Sarah."

Khadija shook her head, she would never understand these strange American's and their need for pet names. A name was a symbol of who you were, it was not meant to be chopped up. "He. Harm, he call you very much times. . . He dream many much times." Many a night she would spend watching the men, as she was one of the few that understood English. They had found that often, in dreams, the men would relay certain information that was needed, but Harm, on the other hand, always spoke of one thing and one thing only: Mac.

She really didn't know what to make of that or what to say. By the look in Khadija's eyes, Mac knew she was jealous. "Harm is a good man, I thank you for helping him." She repeated her thanks in Farsi which had the other woman's perception of her change rather quickly. At the woman's registered look of shock, Mac smiled slightly. "My grandmother was Iranian."

Temir cut all other conversation as he walked into the room flanked by two men with guns. He told them to move outside and keep guard as he was going to be busy for sometime. With the most charming smile that he could find, he settled himself on the floor with the two women. "Colonel, are you enjoying your stay?"

Mac shrugged and nodded to the outside. "Except for the bad weather and a mattress that has seemed to cause pain to every part of my spinal column, it hasn't been too unpleasant."

"Good, I'd be disappointed if it was." He clapped his hands and from the back end of the cabin came three men all carrying fresh food for them to eat: fruits, bread and some sort of liquid resembling coffee. "Serve me my tea, Colonel."

Ah, so it was tea, yes of course, they wouldn't be drinking coffee. Something about all of that was familiar. Yes, of course, Sadik. He too wanted her to be a good Persian woman, serving the man his tea, knowing that because she was born a girl, she was more than just second place in their world; she was basically non-existent. In a slow movement, she took the pot and poured tea for Temir then some for Khadija and then herself. Until he was settled, she did as Temir commanded, feeling like a slave. He'd even requested for her to feed him, which she did with baited breath. By the way he was looking at her, she knew he was just like Sadik, letting the want of desire keep him close to giving into her. Another game was about to begin.

In Arabic, Temir said to Khadija, 'Go, leave me alone with the woman.'

Mac could tell, by the look of disapproval in the woman's eyes that she was a little more than just another servant. No, it was clear to Mac that the woman was his wife. She pretended not to understand the language, her brow furling as Temir and Khadija argued back and forth. The quarrel ended when Temir struck Khadija with the back of his hand. 'Insolent woman! I told you to go!' At the sight of violence, Mac curled herself into a corner, something that she hadn't done since she was a child.

Temir glanced at her and sighed noting the look of fear in her eyes. "I am sorry, Colonel. . .But some women need to be educated." He offered his hand to her, helping her move back to the small table where they were seated. "You may eat now."

Slowly, she did as told, but always kept an eye on Temir. He was looking at her like a man in love, it as practically the same looks Harm would give her ever since they'd become intimate. The whole thing was unnerving and more than a little irritating. Still, she had her meal of fresh fruits managing, when Temir had ventured outside to speak to his men, to steal some for Harm.

Bit and pieces of the conversation she deciphered. As far as she could understand, they had a little less than a week to get things going. It was Temir's intent to use her as a way to get Harm to fly the Aurora during the 'missions.' When one of the men directly asked about Mac, Temir responded that she was not to be harmed, it was possible that she would be turned to fight for Allah.

Mac snorted at the notion. "Over my dead body." She whispered.

In his cabin, Harm was laying in the cot, refusing to eat the disgusting food they had brought him. It wouldn't be too long now before they took him to the torture room and started him back on the morphine. Everything he'd gone through at Mac's apartment had been for naught. "Please, please don't let him hurt her." He said softly, his body shivering at the thoughts of what sort of things they would do to her.

It was then that he heard the locks of the door open and immediately he was sitting up. He expected the worst, to have Mac dragged in a bloody and tortured mess as he'd seen Andy and the other captives. But, another woman, this one familiar to him, walked into the room. "Khadija." He said, surprised that she was still among the living. After his escape, he'd figured she would have been killed, even tortured. But as he saw the young woman enter the cabin, he found her to be alive and well. "I thought you'd be killed?" She looked sickly, obviously the disease she confessed to having was wreaking havoc on her body. But, at some point, he deduced, that she would have been a very beautiful woman.

"No. . .They no believe me free you." She said in that familiar broken English that he'd come to enjoy during his time in captivity. "The woman. .. pretty." Her eyes lowered down in shamed.

Harm's eyes grew wide, she knew about Mac. "Is she. . .Where is she?"

"Woman with Temir." She said and Harm noticed a flash of what seemed to be jealousy in the woman's eyes. "Temir like woman."

"Is she alright?" When he noted that she wasn't too sure what he had said, Harm searched for a different term. "Hurt? Is the woman hurt?"

Khadija shook her head. "No, she okay."

"Good. . .Good." He breathed a sigh of relief, but knew that it really didn't matter how safe she was at the time. They would use her against him, he was damned sure of that. And when they were done, just as with the others, he feared they would end her life. Worse, would they force him to end her life? Closing his eyes, Harm envisioned Mac tied up and hanging from her wrists, her body a mere shell of what it used to be. She was begging him, just like Andy Watson did; begging him to end her life. "I can't do that to her." He said out loud as a tear ran down his cheek. "Please, help me, Khadija, help us."

Mac had finished the fruit and sat by, waiting for Temir in order for her to return back to Harm. She wanted to stand, to pace, to do something other than sit and wait, but she knew better. Men like Temir didn't allow for women to do things without their request. She was scared, yes, but if she acted more scared than she really was, then maybe she could use it to their advantage.

With a sigh, she thought about Harm and how worried he must be about her. She only hoped that Temir had kept his promise of earlier that moment when he went to get her. The deal was for Mac to have breakfast with him and as a result, Harm would remain untouched. It was a sacrifice that she made without hesitation or reservation – she would keep him safe.

Temir returned ten minutes later, Mac deduced with her internal clock, he was wearing something of a somber look which quickly turned into a smile as his eyes met her own. "I hope you had your fill, Colonel."

Mac nodded. "It was very good, thank you. . .But, I would like to go back to my friend now. I am sure he is worried about me."

"Do not worry about him, Khadija is keeping him company." He settled himself across from Mac and looked her over as he had done before. Every look that he gave, every smile and even his attempts at being courteous were nauseating for her. She wanted nothing to do with this man. But, Temir had a different opinion. In the Colonel he saw a strong woman, one that could lead with him. One who, by having some sort of Persian blood, could be turned to completely follow visions of terror with the grace of Allah.

First, he needed to change her clothing, women were not supposed to dress in anything but an abaya. Though he wouldn't request for her wear a niqab, that would veil her face. But she would have to wear a shayla, Mac's hair would certainly need to be covered. "I see your friend means a great deal to you. . .If you want to go back, then you must change. Women should not wear such terrible clothing." He was referring to her semi-tight jeans. "You do not need to cover your face or your hair when with me, but outside, with the others, you need to behave like a good woman should."

Mac was tempted to tell him where he could shove all of his crap about being a good woman. Just like Sadik, he was treating her as if she were a nothing from their country. As much as she praised her heritage, for Sarah MacKenzie, nothing made her feel so insignificant than the ways that men were allowed to treat their women. Still, she conceded, there was nothing else she could do. "Yes." It was a simple word, not followed by sir or master or any other words that she'd heard women repeat. Just, "Yes."

"Good." Pleased, Temir walked into a room in the back and brought out one of Khadija's abayas and headdress. He placed them on the table in front of Mac and urged her with his eyes to change. "There is no modesty here Colonel, we are alone."

The clothing quickly came off of Mac and soon she stood before the man in only a long sleeved t-shirt and underwear. "I get cold easily. I would like permission to keep this on." She touched the t-shirt, unwilling to pull it over and allow him to see much more of her naked flesh, but when she saw the disapproving look on Temir, she realized that this wasn't a Sadik Fahd she was dealing with. This wasn't a man who truly was uninterested as her in a woman. No, Temir had the look of a man who wanted to see his 'prize' and make sure he got what he paid for. With a sigh of regret, she tossed the shirt into a pile then reached for the abaya.

Temir's hand darted out, stopping her movements as three different colored, shiny, metal objects caught his eye. Between Mac's breasts dangled her dog tags and the gold band Trish had given her. The same gold band Harm had promised to put on her finger once they were home and safe. Standing, Temir walked purposefully towards Mac, and pulled the chain over her head. He stared at the dog tag information, frowning at the sight that in her personal life, Mac considered herself to be a Catholic. Or so, the dog tags said. Next to one of the tags, he found the ring, which he stared at for an even longer time. It wasn't just a family heirloom, he deduced. Things like that were either left at home or worn. No, where she had the ring, so close to her heart, could only mean one thing. "You are betrothed?"

Mac shook her head. "No, the man who gave me that died." She wasn't lying per se. Technically speaking, Commander Harmon Rabb Junior was dead and even had a tombstone in Arlington to prove it. Despite herself, she glanced pleadingly at her captor. "Please, don't take that away from me. . .You can keep that tags, but please, don't take that ring away from me."

Overwhelmed with jealousy, he struck Mac on the same cheek she'd already had bruised from their tango with the mountain folk. But, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of crying out in pain. You wouldn't have known how much it hurt her if it wasn't for an audible hiss. Still, ever the proud Marine, she stood up to her full height as the look in her eyes changed from frightened to angered. Temir would have hit her again, but figured there would be a better way to hurt her, a punishment that was worse than physical pain. He dangled the dog tags in front of her and with a sick smile, slid them into his breast pocket. "If he is dead, then you do not need the ring anymore. ..memories should be enough." Taking the abaya and shayla, he threw them at her then turned to leave as he threw over his shoulder. "Finish dressing, Colonel, then, I might just reunite you with your friend."

Xblue – Shh! Okay, but but… it's fun to be violent and let people know. Well, unless people are cops, then… well, I'd be arrested with no computers and you guys wouldn't have a story… yup, good point about keeping my mouth shut:x

Martini – Oh, they'll have peace, eventually, but not for too long, the third story something mean happens. No character death for the dynamic dou, but it's screwy. I am working it not to be so soap operaish.

Tina – Yup, I know all about and puter possessions. Ffnet is on crack half of the time over here, chapters don't show up. It doesn't let me log on. I've tried a séance, but I think all it did was piss off the internet spirits a little more. Woops! - As for the Harm clones, we got them, any preference on the style of hair? (You know he's had a few different ones ;))

Beccy - I don't kid! I do dramatize and clifferize (is that even a word?) a lot, but I don't kid. Well, yea I do, I am like a class clown, but… no, really, yea, Temir has them both now MUAHAAAAAAA!

Dansing – Yup, woman got caught cos she was too worried about Harm to worry about herself. Stupid maybe, but I wouldn't be surprised. Hehe. As for VicPuke, I don't have a problem with the actor, I saw him once or twice on the soaps, he's not a bad kid and deserves a shot at the big times, but the writers are smoking some serious crack. Fine, they want to replace Harm, but wtf is this with him and Mac? Did they forget to have a little convo with the military consultant about how to appropriately address a senior officer? I don't think they'll make him another Harm in respect to Harm and Mac because of the rank, but they are pushing things a bit much.

LtJg – I might need palmer so kill him, revive him and send him over to my world. ;)

Southern – Nah, I'm a vampire (or I role play one) who apparently, can't die. LOL! And you guys don't need to torture me! I'm getting enough torture just watching JAG on Fridays… Wait, no, that's not JAG. . .it has the same actors but it's not JAG. ;)

Cristina – Some violence is good. Chris had it coming, big time. ;) As for Vicpuke, I really wouldn't mind Mac pulling a move like she did on Chris. Now, who's violent. ;)

LiseGirardi - If you ever learn anything from me, it's one thing: I love cliffhangers almost as much as I love coffee. Hmm… okay yup, I need a mug! ;)

NinjaTurtle – Uh huh, so when you get pulled out of class it'll be my fault right! Right! Cool! Tell the peeps in class I say 'yo! Wassap?' Or as us Latino folk say all the time lately "Oye! Que vola!" ;)

NK – Temir the Terrorist ;) I finally gave him a full name btw, which I realized he didn't have. He's always been just "Temir" It'll come up I the… last? No… chapter before last - Temir Ayaz Muhammad Savrai – I asked him if Temir the Terrorist was good for him, and he went off on me about it needing to be more ethnic, characters! Go figure!

Carby – Neither was I, ready for the ending I mean. That part and the ending of the story has been debated forever. Originally, I was just going to have Harm rush in with Mac and take the planes while under heavy fire. . .but I figured that would be too damned easy. And nothing about this story or in JAG, in general, is easy for them. Why break that? ;P

Moonlight – I promise, he won't torture Mac. He doesn't want to he actually just has the hots for her. Temir I mean.

JTB – Thre are a few people that like the actor, not the character. Sometimes I wonder if the writers have ever seen a show? Well, I know the answer to that – No, I have the script for a few episodes (old episodes) and some of the parts written are like against things that have to do with Harm and Mac. I thik, for the last two seasons DPB has been writing all the stories himself, which account for the crap going on in the screen. I ask, what was the point of 4 percent solution?

Froggy – Get acrylics! ;) Soon! You're going to need them for the next one. ;)

Harmfan – She was too preoccupied with the guys who nearly caught Harm, that's how. Levine's demise is going to approach, I can't kill him off yet, because if I do, we won't have him blabbing to certain people about what he did. Don't forget the information Bud, Gordon and Sturgis have isn't exactly enough. ;)


	14. Perfect Calculation

Well, some people are going to cheer while others will groan. ;) More on Monday though:)

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler, moonlight, southernqt, LiseGirardi, Jade, Smithknkand anyone else I missed for the Feedback

Part 14 – Perfect Calculation  
1400 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

There was one welcomed thing about her having to wear the abaya and shayla, the bulky clothing kept her warm and were much cleaner than the clothing she had on before. It also kept her "hidden" away from the other men in the camp, the ones that would ogle her in ways that made her feel disgusting. Sometimes being 'unseen' was a good thing. As Temir led her through the camp, Mac could see the two Aurora's parked one behind the other, just waiting for their time to fly. 'Wow.' Mac though, as she stared at the planes a moment longer. 'Tax payers dollars at work.' There was a group of men that had a computer attached to one of the planes, but by the yelling going on back and forth, it was obvious they were having difficulties accomplishing anything.

Temir shoved her slightly to the side as they came about the cabin that housed their captives. "Khadija, out!" He yelled in English, noting that she was a bit too comfortable around Harm. That was something he would remedy once they entered his cabin.

Mac was pushed into the cabin, her fall broken by Harm who'd reached out to catch her. "Steady Marine." He looked her over, furling his brow slightly in confusion as to what she was wearing. As his eyes moved to her face, he noticed the bruise, one much worse than the one she had before. "Mac, What happened?"

Temir cleared his throat and stepped into the cabin. "Nothing happened, Commander. . . I was just teaching her how to behave like a proper Muslim woman."

Harm glanced at the bruise again and he saw a hidden fear in Mac's eyes that she was trying to mask. "You son of a . . ." Stepping away from her, he tried to launch himself at Temir, but the move was anticipated.

For his troubles, he was given a hard whack on his abdomen with Temir's knee and collapsed, slightly winded. "Tsk tsk tsk, Commander, now now. . .there's no need for violence." He used his foot to push Harm onto his six then walked, unabashed towards Mac. "Colonel, try to keep your friend acting properly." Taking her hand, he kissed the back of it and smiled at her. "Until later."

Mac waited for him to leave before kneeling down next to Harm, "Are you okay?" He only answered her with a nod. Frowning, she helped him stand, then move across the cabin to the cots. She eased him down into one and sat at the edge. "I brought you something." From under the abaya, she produced two bananas and an apple which she placed on a small crate next to the cots. "I would have taken more, but that was all I could sneak out without him noticing." She pulled off the shayla and placed it on the crate with a huff. "Hate those stupid things."

Harm stared at her clothing as if seeing her in an abaya for the first time. "Why?" He touched the edges of it and frowned.

"Long story." She sighed.

"At least you'll be warm." Slowly he straightened, taking a deep breath. Taking a look around, noting that they were alone, he happily reached for the banana. "Thank you, the gruel they brought me was anything but edible." He pointed over at the plate and noticed Mac cringe at it's contents.

Looking at the contents, Mac felt her stomach churn slightly. Was that what they were giving him before? Did he survive in this way? By the looks of whatever was on the plate, it accounted for Harm's drastic reduction in weight. When she turned her head back to him, he was already done with one banana and starting on the apple. "We have to find a way to get out of here." Her suggestion was met with a nod. "Maybe you can play sick again?. . ." He shook his head 'no' and Mac sighed in exasperation. "They need you, maybe, if you pretend we can get out of this."

Harm swallowed down the chunks of apple in his mouth and cleared his throat. "If they think I am sick, then they'll never leave me alone. . . Maybe I can get Khadija to help again. . .I got her to turn last time. She may be willing to. . ."

"This time, I doubt she'll lift a finger." Mac said with a sad confidence, she only wished it were that easy. "I believe she is jealous of Temir and I." The way that came out, made her cringe, but it was the truth.

Harm took in the sight of her in the clean abaya and the fact that she had fresh fruit as a sign that Temir may have been a bit too interested in Mac for his own good. Jokingly, he said, "Maybe I should be too? Jealous I mean?"

For his joke, what he received was a stern look from Mac which quickly took on a somber look. "He. . .he took my dog tags, Harm. . .he took the ring." Temir was right, memories should be enough, but Harm was far from being dead and that ring held so many promises between them. Mac was sure she'd never let it go. "I wanted to stop him, but. . .he took it Harm. . .he just took it."

"It's just a ring Mac. . .I'm not going to stop feeling what I feel for you because some terrorist took it from you."

It was typical for him not to understand that, to her, it wasn't 'just a ring.' It was the one thing that was part of his family, the one thing that kept her tied down to the belief that he wasn't gone. Every time she wanted a drink, every time she believe him to be gone, that ring, for some unknown reason, made her have hope. "No, it was more than that. . .it's what kept me going when everyone thought you were gone. . ." The way she said that made his heart ache a little. He understood, and he vowed himself to get it back.

The rest of the day had been somewhat of an oddity. In the near distance, they could hear armament being blown to smithereens. There was a hustle and bustle in the camp unlike anything Harm had experienced before. Often they would hear Temir barking orders in Farsi or Arabic, orders that Mac would translate for Harm. Apparently, his men had stowed the armament incorrectly and, as a result, some of it had become unstable, forcing them to blow it up. This, of course, meant that they had to send a crew out to get more or at least, attempt to. According to one of Temir's soldiers, the Canadian government was starting to get nosy and they were running out of 'hush' money.

Towards the early evening, the cabin door opened and in came Khadija followed by one of their guards. In front of Harm, they placed the typical, gruel, disgusting meal that he was repulsed by. However, in front of Mac, the guard placed a tray full of fresh fruits, bread and even some wine. Taking the wine, Mac handed it to Harm, followed by half of the bread and fruit. But, Khadija would have non of it. 'No! The fruit is only for the Colonel!' She said in Farsi, startling both Harm and Mac who looked up at her in confusion.

"If the fruits are for me, Khadija, I have a right to share them with my friend." Mac responded in English. "He needs to eat, look how thin he is."

Harm made to bite into a peach, when Khadija barreled between him and Mac, tossing the fruits onto the floor. "No! You not eat!" She said with anger, then grabbed the plate of gruel and offered it to Harm. "You eat this." She took an apple from the ground and shoved it towards Mac. "Eat."

Mac took the apple and glanced at Harm who was looking back at her with a confused expression. 'Khadija, what is going on? What is wrong?' She asked in Farsi, but the only answer received was a gun being pointed at the two of them.

"Eat!" Khadija yelled at Mac, pointing towards the apple with anger. "No eat, I shoot Commander." She cocked the weapon and pointed it at Harm. "Woman, eat!"

"Okay. . .okay." Taking the apple firmly in her hand, Mac was about to bite into it, when Temir burst through the door.

Shots went off inside the cabin. One, two, three; four shots in total. In that short time span, Harm had thrown himself onto Mac, sending them both to the ground. His hands curled over her head and the rest of him covered her body. When the shots finished, it took him a moment to check that neither of them were hit before comprehension hit. The shots were not aimed at him nor her, then what happened?

Harm moved himself up first, glancing over the cot to find Temir holding a smoking gun and Khadija no where to be found. He offered a hand down to Mac, and then pulled them both up. From their vantage point, the could now see who was the recipient of all the lead. "Why?" Harm said softly, glancing down at the blood pooling around a dead Khadija. She was laying face down, with all four bullet holes in her back, she didn't even have a chance to react. "Why did you do that?"

Temir picked up an apple from the ground, one that was now covered with blood. "She poisoned the wine and fruit for the Colonel."

Mac stared wide-eyed at Harm. "That's why she didn't allow you to eat it. . . Why would she do this?"

"Jealousy. . . Apparently I need to take better care of you." Temir moved across the room to the small wooden crate and took Mac's shayla before reaching over to grab Mac herself. "Let's go Colonel."

It was probably a stupid thing to do, but Mac fought him, slipping her arm out of his hand and backing up a few feet. "I am not going anywhere." She said vehemently then spread her arms wide when he made to point the weapon at her. "You can shoot me if you want, but I am not leaving him."

Temir took a deep breath, he was getting tired of these two, tired of it all. "It's not a request, Colonel." He pointed the gun at Harm and with a perfect calculation, pulled the trigger.

"NO!" Mac yelled as the bullet hit Harm. "Oh God, no!." She saw him dive down, trying to avoid the bullet, and then she saw the blood. Harm wasn't moving. "No! No! You sick bastard! No!" She tried to go to Harm's side, to make sure he was still alive, but Temir never gave her a chance. He called in two guards who held her back even thought she was using an unnatural force to try and escape. "Let me go! Please!"

'Take her to my cabin.' Temir ordered in Arabic his eyes never leaving Harm's prone figure. With a smirk, he carefully stepped over Khadija's body and made his way over to Harm. "Commander, I know where I shot you, faking it won't do you justice." With his foot, he turned Harm over to his back, noticing that he was, indeed out cold. The bullet had just grazed his arm, but in the momentum to move away, his head came in contact with an elevated section of the floor where the wooden crate sat. "Ah, Commander, don't make your life any harder. I can't have you flying if you have a concussion." With a sick laughter, he kicked Harm in the ribs, insuring himself that his toy was really out cold. "Oh, things just keep getting better."

The guards set her roughly down on the bed in Temir's cabin, but Mac hardly felt it. She hardly felt anything at all save for a dull ache in her heart. Words from seven months prior came to her mind as the General filled her in on what they thought they knew. Harm was dead, he had no hopes of surviving if the Aurora's had exploded like the CIA had claimed. He would die a hero. It was surreal then, mainly because there was no corpse to mourn over, just a damned empty casket in Arlington. It felt like a farce and it was a farce, but now. . .now. . .he was dead. Still, she felt something alive in side of her. Even as the tears rolled freely down her face, Mac felt that something wasn't as it should be. There wasn't that zing of excommunication that she'd felt the night he was dying in the frozen waters of the Atlantic. No, this was entirely different, almost as if he weren't dead at all.

When Temir entered the cabin, he was more than surprised to find such an anguished look on Mac's face. "My dear, do not be so sad. . . Allah, has granted you another day."

Mac stared at him with disgust. "Another day to what?"

"To be, to live. . . to enjoy life." His smile was genuine, as if he actually DID care about her, and what was going on with her life. It was meant to put Mac at ease and did anything but. "You are now free, Colonel. . . Tell me, what is your real name?" He knew the answer already, it was in the records he'd had stashed away for a long time. Actually, he knew much about her, where she was born, when she was born, how long she'd been in the Corps. Basic information found in a service record that was sent to him along with Harm's. Her picture was in it as well and it was then that he'd noticed something different in her eyes and the shape of her face. She was part of his people, someone that he didn't want to hurt, someone that he would teach the proper way of life. He wouldn't admit it, but he'd become quite infatuated with Mac. And for psychopaths, that feeling of infatuation made them feel something incorrect: love.

The adoration in his eyes was truly nauseating. Mac found herself backing up into a corner just to stay the hell away from the man. She kept a close eye on him, waiting for the right moment to strike and use her training to get out of this hairy situation. "What do you want from me?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly form adrenalin.

Temir just smiled at her, as he squatted down next to her. "I just want you to be mine, Sarah."

Sarah, she was never really fond of that name. First, it reminded her of a childhood that she'd soon forget. Second, it brought back strangled memories of the men that had gone past her life, men she was sure she never loved. Third, it was private, personal, a name that made her a vulnerable woman instead of a warrior. And that name, coming from a Man like Temir, made her feel exactly that: vulnerable. "Don't call me that."

"Why not? It's such a pretty name." He pulled out her dog tags and the ring, dangling them in front of her. "Tell me, did your lover call you Sarah when you made love?"

Mac shook her head, an unwillingness to answer. Had Harm called her 'Sarah?' Yes, he had and it had to be the first time that name sounded so right. But, she wouldn't give Temir the satisfaction of knowing anything else from her personal life. "Those are mine." She said with spite, wanting to lunge herself at the man and take what was hers.

"Ah, yes, so they are." He balled up the chain and slid it carefully into his pant pocket before squatting down next to Mac. His hand darted out slowly, touching the fabric of the abaya as he grazed his hand over her arm. "You must stop resisting." He ignored the shock look in her eyes and instead, kept looking at his fingers moving slowly towards her shoulder. "If you resist, I'll have to take what I want by force. . . you do not want that."

"No, I don't." She said gently, all the while keeping an eye on their surroundings. They were alone, completely alone. For the first time since they got dropped into this hell, she noticed that there were no guards posted a the door. "No guards." She said just as softly again.

Temir shook his head. His fingers moved gently over her bruised cheek, caressing her as a lover would. "No, private moments between man and woman should be just that. . .private." He framed her face with his hands, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. "Soon, you'll find that I am not as bad as your people made you believe. . .I can be quite gentle and loving, Sarah. . . if you let me."

This was it, she knew it, this was the chance she was waiting for. If he were caught off guard, for just a moment, it would be enough for her to get free and find a way to get to Harm. Mac took a deep, calming breath and glanced into Temir's eyes. 'Pretend he's Harm.' She told herself, willing her eyes to soften and look at this man with a loving look. Mac was urging him to come closer and as he moved in, one of the guards moved into the room, excusing himself then speaking in Arabic. He told Temir that Harm was still out cold, but that he was alive.

Temir nodded. 'Let him sleep it off, Jabi. . .and please, do not disturb us."

Mac breathed a sigh of relief, thanking her lucky stars that Harm still was among the living. Now all she had to do was get to him. "What language were you speaking?" She said, trying to play dumb in hopes that he didn't realize she understood Arabic quite well.

"It doesn't matter. . ." His hand started it's slow exploration on her arm as he drew himself closer to her. "You are beauti. . ."

Whack! Finally, he'd gotten close enough for her to do some serious damage. Mac had one eye to the door, the other on Temir and once the guard that had just walked in moved away, she took the chance to misuse his new trust of her. With a quick movement she brought her palm up, crushing his nose with a calculated force. Temir was out cold. From the table, she retrieved a 45 and the keys to Harm's cabin. Just in case, she dragged Temir's body through the cabin, placing him securely in the back bedroom so that the guards would not be able to see anything wrong in the front bedroom of the cabin.

At the bedroom, she looked around and finding a suitable means of escape. She hopped onto the bed and opened the window behind it. Squeezing herself through she came out the other side landing on her feet with an 'umph,' as she did not calculate the distance very well. Immediately, she rolled herself under a Jeep that sat behind the cabin and remained their quietly as two guards passed by. Glancing up at the Jeep, she got the perfect idea.

Mac took stock of the area, noticing that no guards were planning on passing by. She rolled out from under the jeep and climbed inside of it. "C'mon, there has to be something I can use." She ducked under the seats, checking for anything she could use in order to turn the vehicle into some sort of a distraction. The answer came in form of a shotgun that was laying under the back seat. Taking the shotgun, she wedged it between the accelerator and the front seat. She found a box of shells and used her teeth to separate them and spread some of the gun powder along the jeep. From the back she took two cans of gasoline and doused the vehicle as much as possible. Mac put the Jeep in neutral and then, positioning herself under the dash, she made quick work of sparking the car to life, careful not to get the sparks anywhere near the gas.

The roar of the engine filled the dead, cold air and with a quick movement, she shoved the car into gear, managing to step back in time as it went off rolling off with a force of vengeance. Mac stood by, waiting with baited breath, but nothing happened. Oh, the Jeep did hit something and there was a loud crashing sound, but not the great, big, 'BOOM' she was expecting. "Shit!" She said out loud and, a moment later, almost as if compensation for her troubles, the jeep exploded. The force sent her to the ground as another explosion literally shook the earth. The Jeep had collided with a small shack where the rest of the armament was being held.

The whole thing sent everyone in motion. Guards were running towards the area, leaving their posts in order to salvage more arms before they two became part of the powder keg, killing most of the men nearby. Mac took this opportunity to run towards the cabin where Harm was. "Please be ok." She said under her breath as she fumbled with the locks. Walking in, she spotted Khadija's dead body and was filled with instant disgust that Temir could have left her there as if she meant nothing.

Behind her, she heard something fall to the floor with a rattling sound. Turning around, she saw Harm who was formerly holding a tray over his head in hopes to strike someone over the head. He looked dazed, confused and had a rather nasty mark on his forehead. "Mac?" He walked forward and enveloped her in a hug. "What's going on out there?"

Mac ran her hands over him, making sure that there were no serious injuries. His arm was shot, but, it was not a direct hit, just a scratch. "A distraction, now get your six in gear, flyboy, we have two birds to get out of here." Harm and Mac rushed out of the cabin, heading straight for the planes. One of the men made to rush them, but Harm managed to slug him as hard as possible, sending the man to the ground with a single punch. Mac striped the guard of his weapon and continued their run for the planes. Harm glanced at one plane, then took a long, hard, look at the other. "Uh, flyboy, this isn't time to glance at the planes nifty aesthetic features." But, he didn't answer her, instead continued to look at the planes with an odd expression. "Harm?"

Harm's head was pounding, it was becoming difficult for him to think about what he needed to do. 'Think, Hammer, think!' Feeling the side of the plane, he found the mechanism and opened the canopy. Then he worked on pulling down the steps. Climbing in, he was surprised to find the helmets and flight suits neatly resting on the seats. He took one helmet and suit and tossed them down to Mac. "Put those on." He doubted that they would fit her, but it didn't really matter, he needed her to be shielded from the harsh environment that Aurora flew in.

"How are we going to take off? I don't see a runway." Mac scanned the area better seeing nothing but trees, mountains and brush.

"That way." Harm said, pointing his finger down a dirt road that seemed to cut off just as it was about to hit the mountain. "There's a dirt road that veers off to the left there. . . I remember them quizzing Andy as to how long of a runway we needed to take off. They knew they couldn't make it out of asphalt, but dirt is a different idea, it won't be as easily picked up by satellites. In Nevada we can land them on the dry lake beds." He stared towards the dirt road and sighed. "Just pray we don't kick anything up into the engines."

Taking his own flight suit, he started to step into it when a shot ricocheted off a tree nearby. He pushed Mac onto the ground, covering her body with his. From under the planes he tried to make out where the shots were coming from. It was Temir, "Commander! Colonel!"

Harm stared down at Mac and quickly helped her up. "Climb into the backseat and try to get the radio working, the way I taught you. . . When you get in there, stay down low, he won't shoot at the planes." He pushed Mac halfway up the steps, then headed off into the brush as another bullet whizzed by and hit another tree.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Mac glanced at him with a fear in her eyes, now wasn't the time to go toe to toe with Temir. They needed to get the planes in the air and out of the area. A faint smell of gasoline hung in the air, carried by the wind which was now hitting their direction. She turned her head only to witness another explosion from the vicinity of the Jeep. But, there was something else that she didn't quite notice before. Gas had leaked from the jeep and there was now a fine line of brush on fire. The flames licked their way to the cabins and one was already catching on fire. This was good yes, but, if the flames spread quickly, they would eat up the barn causing the rest of the arms to explode. The planes were far too close to that area for comfort.

Harm tried to keep low in the brush, tossing pebbles as a way to distract Temir, or at least, get him to empty the pistol. "Where are you going Commander?"

"Oh, just thought I'd take the lady for a ride." He rushed at Temir from behind, sending the both of them to the rocky ground. Harm screamed in pain as his injured arm wound up under him, hitting the rocks on the ground. That momentary pause, gave the terrorist a chance to try and get the upper hand. But, Harm had a better idea. He brought his head down hard against Temir, temporarily disorienting the two of them. Wobbling, he stood up and kicked the terrorist hard against his abdomen. "That is for me. ." Bending down, he grabbed Temir by the collar, angling him just so he could punch him as hard as possible. "That is for Mac."

He made to hit the terrorist one more time, for Andy, but Temir placed a solid kick on Harm's bad knee, sending him back into the ground with a glottal cry. "Ah, see Commander." Temir began, in a voice that sounded nasally and tired. "You American's are all talk. . .no action."

'Fake it.' Harm heard Mac's voice in his head. 'Fake it, Harm.' He doubled over, pretending the pain in his knee was far worse than it was. When Temir turned to retrieve the pistol from the ground, Harm flung a large rock, hitting the terrorist directly on the back. In three movements, Harm stood up again, lunging at Temir. He wrapped his arm across his neck, pushing backwards in an attempt to strangle. "Where is the ring you stole from her, you bastard?"

"Ring? . ." Temir choked out. "What. . .ring, Com-and-er?"

The more Temir fought to get free, the angrier Harm became. He had to end this or be tormented forever. "This is for Andy Watson." Grabbing Temir by the hair, he slammed him face first into a pointy rock, hearing skull crack followed by the terrorist's last breath. And then, he released the man. Harm stood quickly, not wanting to see what destruction he just created. Leaning against a tree he braced himself for a moment, trying to get his body working again. He turned the terrorist over, checking through the pockets until he found what had been taken from Mac. That's when he heard her yelling. Limping as fast as he could, he headed through the brush and to the planes. "Harm, hurry! This whole place is going to blow!"

Harmfan – Pepto! Lots of it. Temir suffered some, I rather liked Harm cracking his skull. And He got the ring back:D

Smithknk – Yes I can! Neener Neener! ;) Cliffhangers R Us, I should start a club. :glanes at fellow writers: you know you like doing it too!

Dansing – I knew people would get ticked by that, but not as bad as this! Wow, so many people wrote in about the ring! Yea, I know Temir nor Sadik would have acted as they have/did, being very liberal with it. We'll say they were confused with Mac's hotness LOL! Well, tonight I'll watch JAG in a drunken Haze which is how I managed to live through Season 9. :P I'll rewatch it tomorrow if there are points I remember. :P

Martini – There's an interesting ending and the next story has a rather familish beginning, some hard subjects and then some action/adventure/enemy from the past/possibly an imposter or two. ;)

Froggy – Am I nuts? That question has been raised several times. I'd say yes. But if I went to a therapist then the therapist would need a therapist and the therapist's therapist would need a therapist and then the therapist's therapist's therapist would need a therapist and. . .then all of the the rapists (therapists ;)) would be out of work and people who really do need help would be beyond help. Hmm… wow, that made sense. I think LOL!

Bite Beccy – Harm got it back, he's just not going to give it to her yet, they are a bit preoccupied as things are blowing up to stop 'Oh Mac, BTW, you're the hotness and I got yer ring back. Let's get it on, yea?' And then things really do start exploding as Mac is like 'Yo, Harm, your bod is like da bomb man, like wooh, but like uh, don't we like have to like git outta here, dood?' - Hmmm JAG on Crack LOL!

LtJGMEg – Can't you revive him? I need him damnit! Sheesh! Couldn't we have worked out a rent to own? ;)

Joanoa – Nah, he didn't need to be shot, just have his skull crushed. I like that barbaricness of it all. ;)

Tina Frank – Gotcha :does the checklist for the Harm Clone: So this is what? Harm Clone 3:;thinks about keeping all the clones to herself, sighs: anyway, she is tough! She got out of Temir's lair. Go Mac the Marine! ;)

Aserene – Harm got the ring back! See:points at it: Umm… course, he gave the ring to me, since like we're sooooooo in love. :Looks at it: Actually, damn, no it's a ring out of a cracker jack box. :( Harm no love me. Waaah! It's okay though, I have my clone. :D

Jtbwriter – Temir gave ME the creeps and I am the writer! The Angst Express. LOL! I like that. But, Michi and Carol's Angst O Meter is the ticket! I might need a few though LOL!


	15. This Wasn’t In The Flight Plan pt 1

Okie dokie, two more after this. And this story is done this week for sure. There may be a delay in story three, I just havne't had time to work on it at all this weekend. My granfather needed some help and that ate up all my Saturday. Anyway... bare with me when it comes to all the techie talk. I a) know little about planes (prob less than little), b) refused to seek out and watch 'The One That Got Away' again and c) this is a story, it's supposed to be unbelievable. ;)

Jackie.

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler, moonlight, southernqt, LiseGirardi, Jade, Smithknkand anyone else I missed for the Feedback

Part 15 – This Wasn't In The Flight Plan pt 1

1600 Zulu  
JAG Headquarters  
Falls Church, Virginia

Raymond Levine pushed through the double glass doors and walked through the bullpen. The Marine on duty checked his pass and allowed him to walk on through. "The General's office is there." The corporal said, pointing in the direction of Coates' office. With a grimace, Levine trudged passed the hustle and bustle of life at JAG ops and , without so much as an introduction to Coates, walked straight into Creswell's office.

"Sir! I am sorry, he just walked in sir." Coates said, with a worried expression on her face, but Creswell just ordered her out.

Levine looked at the faces in the room, this wasn't good, this wasn't good at all.

HALF AN HOUR EARLIER:  
1530 Zulu  
North East Of Corner Brook  
Newfoundland, Canada

Nothing on the plane was working. "Damnit, Harm. . .You said the batteries would get the radio working!" Mac flipped the only switches Harm had told her about during their days in the woods. It had been worked out between them and Creswell that once they were able to recapture the planes, they should get on the radio to the Marine insurgent team that they had crossed the boarder with. The team leader of that group was a former client of Cresswell's, someone that owed the General a favor and was more than eager to repay it in anyway. The captain would take the transmission from Harm and Mac and notify Creswell about it. They would also head towards the compound, securing anything that could clear Harm's name.

Glancing up, she noticed the fire spreading to the second cabin, it wouldn't be long before the barn was engulfed as well. "God, where is he?" She sat in the cockpit, torn between the want to go after him and the order that he gave her to stay put. She tried the radio again, realizing that one of the cables had not been plugged in all the way. After shoving the cable into its place, the radio led screen lit up as a comforting wave of static washed over her. "Yes!" Mac played with the knobs, setting the correct frequency before rambling off the information. "Eagle, this is Fox, do you read me?" With a baited breath she waited for something to come over the line. "Damnit, Eagle this is Fox, do you read me?"

(A second later, the line came alive. "Fox, this is Eagle, we read you loud and clear. . . Are you in the air?")

"Negative, but please pass the information on to Biff that we are in possession of Ghost one and Ghost two." All of the little code words amused Mac, but it was all part of undercover work. "Will relay more intel as it becomes available."

("That's a roger, Fox. . .We'll keep this line open, it should give us a pretty accurate idea of your location. Over and out.")

Mac stared out into the brush, where she saw a figure heading towards her. Turning she saw the barn now starting to catch fire, this was just not good. "Harm, hurry! This whole place is going to blow!"

Harm emerged from the brush, limping his way up to the planes. As quick as possible, he managed to put on the flight suit. "Mac, there are leg restraints on the bottom of your seat make sure they are locked." He disappeared under one plane, locating the section where he removed the chip from. There, in a hidden hatch was another chip, which he quickly inserted into the control panel. Rushing to the second plane he did the same thing, then opened up the cockpit and painfully made his way up.

Turning around, Mac found Harm in the other plane's cockpit and immediately she started to panic. "You're not going to have me fly this thing are you? Harm?"

Harm heard her and started chuckling. After entering some details into the onboard computer, Harm slipped out, closed the canopy and headed back over to the lead plane. With a grunt he made his way up, sat in the main seat and locked in his own leg restraints. After slipping on his helmet and lowering the canopy, through the rearview he saw Mac's pale face and chuckled slightly. "What's the matter, Mac? I thought you knew how to fly?"

"Uh, yea. . . Just not one of these. .. things. . ." She gulped, then turned to look back at the other plane. "Are we just going to leave the other plane here?"

Harm entered in some information into the computer and soon the plane started moving slowly on the gravel, trying to get it's momentum. "Well, this is classified. . .One of the things we were working on was how to get the planes to work in tandem without having a pilot in the second plane. . .Not sure what the purpose is since these are not meant to be unmanned. . .It only worked half of the time, so if we can land both of these babies, we'll be making a little bit of CIA history. . . Just keep an eye on our 'wingman', Ghost 2."

CIA history, yea right. Mac wanted nothing to do with the CIA, it was bad enough she and Harm already had a history with the agency. Turning slightly, she saw the other plane mimicking their movements, even the slight turns Harm made in order to avoid nicking the wings with the trees. "Just promise me _one_ thing, will ya?" She breathed softly.

"Anything." He glanced at her through the rearview mirror, his eyes offering her a sincerity in them that comforted her slightly.

Mac hated that she was afraid of traveling in these types of jets. Sure, she was now an aviator, capable of flying his precious 'Sarah.' But, she wasn't too sure that this adventure in flying wouldn't end up the same as all of their previous ones. "Well, first off, I am not looking forward to another hard landing. Second, I'll be just happy if we never meet any deranged mountainfolk and third, I really do not want to eject from this thing."

He should have been slightly offended, the old Harm would have been, but those were valid concerns if every time your partner took you flying something earth shattering happened. "I'll do my best. . .Trust me, I don't want to eject from this. . .I am not planning for this ride to be anything but smooth. . .my world is on this plane." Mac glanced at him through the mirror and her breath caught in her throat at the amount of sentiment in his voice. "I meant that just as it sounded, Sarah. . . And when we land, things aren't going to change."

Just as quickly as he'd shown it, Harm veiled his emotions and was back to business. If his world was riding in this plane with him, he wasn't going to let anything go wrong. Finally, he brought the plane to a stop at the end of the long, dirt runway. He said a quiet prayer that everything would be alright, that nothing would be sucked into the engines, that the landing gear would survive the terrain. "Here we go."

Mac turned noting the second plane was still behind them, but there was another problem. Temir's men, the ones who survived, were also following close behind firing their weapons at them. "Harm, they're coming after us." The moment she got that sentence out, the engines fired up and she was pressed back into her seat as the plane started moving faster and faster and faster. The land started passing by them quickly, she could feel the plane angling to take off, but nothing was happening. "Are you sure the runway is long enough?" She yelled over the noise of the engines, noting that they were running out of room.

"Climb, baby, climb" Harm cried out as he pulled back on the stick as much as he possibly could, sending the plane skyward just in the nick of time. "Whew" He breathed out and managed to take a quick glance at Mac who was pinned to her seat with her eyes closed. "Hold on, Mac. . .I need to climb as much as I can." He pointed the plane skyward, in a sharp angle that few test pilots dared toy with. But, he knew this plane, just as well as he did his beloved Tomcat.

"Alright." Mac's head was already pounding, her stomach started to do summersaults as the force of the plane kept her body pinned to the seat. She'd taken off from a Tomcat and MIG, though the force of lift off was always rough, this was worse and almost painful. It took minutes to reach their cruising altitude and just as Harm started leveling the plane, Mac opened her eyes. "Oh my God." Her stomach was in her throat, much as it always was the few times she'd managed to ride on a supersonic jet. But, this was much different, the view was unbelievable. "Oh my God." She repeated again, swallowing twice and breathing deeply to help calm her nerves.

Harm glanced at her through the mirror and smiled. "Amazing isn't it?" Below the aircraft, clusters of clouds could be seen in an otherwise clear, baby blue sky. Above, the skies were a violent indigo color. Just a few thousand feet more and they'd be in outer space. He'd flown the aircraft several times in his six month stint with the CIA and never once got tired of the view. "If you look straight ahead, you can see the curvature of the earth."

But Mac wasn't looking straight ahead, instead she had her head turned around, glancing out at their 'wingman.' "Just in case you wanted to know, Ghost two is still with us."

"I know, I have it on radar." He glanced down at the instrument panel, noting that everything was running smoothly, which was a nice change of pace from their angst filled week. He laughed slightly, amused by his own thinking and how silly ideas seemed to be popping into his head all of a sudden.

"What's so funny?"

Harm sighed. "Nothing it's stupid."

Mac furled her brow, she was getting a little bit used to this new form of aviation. Too bad she wouldn't even be able to being telling people about her flight over the world. This was literally like being in space. "What is it?"

"Well, at the risk of sounding utterly corny. . .You can't say many guys have given you the world. . .but me." He pointed downward and grinned at her through the mirror and she smiled back. "Told you it was corny."

"No, it isn't. . .And you didn't have to give me the world, Harm. . .Just you." With a sigh, she broke the intimate haze they were both momentarily in, there would be times for that later. "Should I get on the horn with the Marines?"

"Yea. . .I can't contact Groom Lake as of yet. . .Before we boarded I snooped around, seems like our crew damaged certain things on the planes on purpose. Long range radio won't work. . . We'll probably have only a good five minute window to keep in touch with the Marines."

Mac nodded and grabbed the radio which she kept on the same frequency. "Eagle this is Fox, Ghost one and Ghost two are in the air, repeat, we are in the air. ETA is. . ." She trailed off for a moment.

"One hour and two five minutes." Harm said and Mac relayed the details back through the radio.

("Roger that Fox, ETA: one hour, two five minutes. Is the location still Dreamland?")

"Dreamland?" Mac questioned.

Harm checked the information on his screens and replied back. "That's an affirmative, Eagle. . . Please pass the information on to Biff. . . We'll keep the channels clear for additional contact. Confirm my last."

("Roger that Fox, have a safe passage, good luck. .. Eagle out.")

There was a cut off of static and then the line went completely dead, they were officially out of range.

1602 Zulu  
JAG Headquarters  
Falls Church, Virginia

Levine stood amongst a group of men who he knew too damn well and non of them seemed to be amused at his presence save for three who he came to loathe: Roberts, Turner and Creswell. "Close the door, Coates and thank you." The General said, then careful seated himself behind his desk. "Director Levine, I am sure you are wondering why we called this little get together."

Ray slowly took in each and every person in the room. There was DOD Director Richard Enterprise, FBI Director Thomas Rivers, White House Chief Aid Mark Auberry, DHS Director Zachary Brown and finally, non-other than SECNAV Sheffield. "No, not really, General. . .well, I am curious yes, but being in such company I can only deduce something has gone wrong with the state of our governmental agencies." He plastered on a convincing fake smile and proceeded to shake hands with his counterparts.

"General, there is another call for you, sir." Coates said over the intercom and Creswell excused himself. He spoke quietly to the Marine's team leader who relayed information about the flight's ETA.

Nervously, Levine glanced at Creswell, then at his two nosy officers who were smirking at him. They were _smirking_ at _him_! How dare they! "What is so amusing, gentlemen?"

Bud was having too much fun with this whole situation, but it was going to be a good day. Not only were Harm and Mac alive and well, but Levine's powers were going to disappear. "Nothing, sir. . .Inside joke."

After hanging up Creswell addressed the group. "I am very sorry for the interruption, gentlemen, but it pertains as to why we've gathered you together at this venue. . . Mr. Secretary, please go ahead."

Sheffield leaned up against Creswell's desk. "Gentlemen, several months ago we were all notified about two top secret planes that appeared to have blown up over Canadian airspace. . . Recently, there was an accusation of alleged treason against Naval Aviator and JAG officer, Commander Harmon Rabb, junior. . . Your offices were put on high alert over this matter, but were not completely informed. . .It seems that the planes were just fine and the Commander along with his partner, Andy Watson, were taken by one of the men on our most wanted poster Temir Ayaz Muhammad Savrai."

Levine wanted to crawl in a hole and die. True, eventually they were all to discover Temir as the mastermind, he already had a CIA crew ready to storm the compound, which would, essentially make everyone believe in his methods. Part of the plan, was to hopefully have Rabb caught and killed for treason which would prevent anything from leaking out. Now, if this little meeting was about what he thought, all of those plans were shot to hell. His six am shot of cognac was literally rising up his esophagus.

Sheffield continued his 'presentation' in a steely, professional voice that was unraveling the great CIA director. ". . .who intended to use Watson and Rabb to train his own forces on how to use the planes. . ."

The information was tough to swallow, it sounded a bit too far off considering the amount of man power that was used to prove or disprove the disappearance of the Aurora's. All of the agencies had worked together, trying to secure the information, but when one part of the group, the integral part that set the mission up in the first place is dirty, the rest of the agencies had, unknowingly been viewing things through a large sheet of wool. DOD Director Enterprise raised his hand to cut off anything else Sheffield was bound to say. "So, in English, the planes never blew up and Rabb is alive?"

Creswell nodded. "Yes, alive and well and bringing the planes back home"

Placing a hand over his mouth, Levine ran out of the office and straight to the nearest waste basket which happened to be Coates'. Out came the cognac he had for breakfast along with the partially digested calcium tablet that he'd taken before stepping in to JAG ops. "Sir! Are you alright." Coming around her desk, Coates cringed at the sight, then immediately tried to help Levine out.

"Bathroom, where the hell is the bathroom?" He said, turning green at the thought of him embarrassing himself in such a way.

Coates helped the man stand up, then lead him through the bullpen and towards the restrooms. "Do you need anything, sir?"

"Yea, a shot gun." Levine drew out as he got better acquainted with the porcelain in the men's bathroom.

When Coates returned to her post, she found Creswell standing there with an amused expression on his face. "Petty Officer, please evacuate the building, have two Corporal's up here and lock down ops. . . Do it calmly."

"Sir?" Coates was confused, more than confused. Things about Harm and Mac were kept very silent and for once, the office scuttlebutt did not circulate past the only three officers at JAG ops who knew the truth.

Creswell took a stern look on his face. "It's not an emergency, but I prefer to have you and the rest of our crew out of the office in case something bad happens. . .Now, move it, Petty Officer."

In the head, Levine stood before the mirrors studying his image. "Damnit!" He yelled, realizing that the longer this kept going, the worst he was going to look. Still, there was a chance, a slight chance, but a chance nonetheless that something would work in his favor. With a sly grin, he pulled out his cell phone and patched a call to Groom Lake AFB base commander. "Yes, this is CIA Director Raymond Levine, we have a situation that I think you may need to be apprised of."

1615 Zulu  
Somewhere Above The United States

Mac had gotten sick twice, even though the ride had proved to be as smooth as Harm had promised. Still, either her nerves or even the slight movement of the aircraft was making her positively sick. "How is it that I can fly a biplane but I can't sit for an hour and a half in this thing?"

To say that he hadn't been expecting this was a lie, Harm knew how bad things got for Mac when they went supersonic. Besides, even his trainee had lost his lunch before they even hit cruising altitude during their first run. "Mac, I've had aviators, guys who normally fly these things puke in the backseat before. . . just take deep breaths."

"If I take anymore deep breaths, it's going to sound like I am in Lamaze class."

Harm chuckled, only Mac would be cracking some joke, sarcastic or otherwise, during this situation. "How's our 'wingman?'"

Mac turned slowly and looked out back to see the plane slightly above them. "Still there, but it's gone up in altitude, before it was just right behind us."

"Gotcha, this was the same problem we had during the test run, we have to manually control it, else it will try to buzz right by us." He implemented a few commands through his control panel and soon the other plane settled back behind them at a comfortable distance. "That should do it." He checked on the time and the fuel, they were a little low, but as long as he didn't have to do any evasive maneuvers they would arrive with just enough to land comfortably. "In about ten minutes I need to start our decent. . .I'll be straight with you, Mac, it may feel a little weird, but I'll try to keep her steady."

Mac sighed. "Oh, I don't think I have anything left to puke out, besides. . .I think I am getting used to this." The plane banked an strange angle as Harm shifted the plane to begin their decent. "Or not."

Harm chuckled. "You still want to learn some aerial acrobatics in 'Sarah'?"

"I'll let you know after this flight is done. . .At the moment, you couldn't get me _near_ 'Sarah' even if you offered a million bux."

1635 Zulu  
Groom Lake Air Force Base  
Nevada

Air Force Major Malcolm 'Burn' Sundin and his wing man Captain Arnold 'Matchbox' Rutherford were in the pilot ready room, slipping out of their civvies and into the flight gear. The men were quiet and for good reason, one of their own, was a traitor and they were being sent in to intercept him. Minutes earlier the base had received a call from one of the higher ups of a possible strike against the United States. The Aurora's that had been missing for half a year hadn't blown up at all, instead, enemies of the State had, somehow, bribed a lead pilot into stealing these precious planes in order to exact their revenge on American interests.

The pilot, both men knew well, as they had worked jointly on a case involving the CIA. Burn sighed as he slipped on the g-suit. "I can't believe Hammer would do something like this. . .he seemed so. ."

"Patriotic? Yea, Burn, but you never know these days. . .I wonder how they got him to do it?" Matchbox checked the hoses for the O2, then proceeded to tighten all of the clamps on the suit.

"I don't know, but. . .the CIA director claims he killed Andy Watson. . .Can you believe that? Who the hell would want Watson dead?" Things just didn't make sense to Burn, Harm had seemed to be such a normal, good natured type of person that it was unfathomable that he would be involved in attacking the United States. Still, orders were orders, friendly or unfriendly, they had a job to do.

"Ready?" Matchbox asked, as he slipped on his helmet, tapping it a few times as he'd superstitiously had done during his whole flying career, something that he felt brought him luck.

"No, but we don't have a choice do we?" The two men headed out of the ready room and out a small corridor that lead to the hangers where two F/A-22 Raptor's were being prepared for flight. Their 'mission' was clear, shoot down the plane over a non-populated area and never let it land at Groom Lake.

Aserene – No Paraguay ending! Yuck! Never… No No No!

NK – Magooie! ROFL! Yes, Temir is as dead as a doornail. ;)

LtJgMeg – No problems, I'll bring him back to life only to kill him again, it's much more fun that way isn't it? ;)

Joanoa – I know right! CRUNCH – dead! Loved it! ;)

Cristina – I don't like Mac being too weak or weapy and all of that, its so not her. But, a little weakness, not a problem. Yea, Temir's demise was sweet and fun to write, I am sure everyone was going 'Oh no he isn't!' ;) I wouldn't have let him done that to Mac. She would have ripped his. .. uh. ..you know off. ;)

Harmfan – Hey, it was satisfying for me too. I didn't want Harm to just shoot him, and I didn't want Harm to torture him because that would make him worse than Temir is, I think . .But somehow dying by Harm's hands in such a rough way fit well. Violence rocks sometimes. ;)

Xblue – Yea, well, cliffys work well Chapter 16 will be the last cliffhanger of this story. 

Froggy – You still have nails? Did you put on acrylics? Lee press on nails? ;)

Tina – Oh the eyes are right. . . I can tell you from my clone they change colours depending on his mood. ;) Darker blue/green, sometimes smokey blue/green. . :thud: ;)

Lise – The part when Harm bashed his brain in was just sooo ubber romantic! ;) Their relationship will be dealt in a bit more detail in Story 3.

They will get into some serious convos, visit his folks (who don't know he's alive). And then things will happen, weird things. Explaining it will sound like a soap opera but I'm trying to keep it away from being soap operaish. :)

Part 16 Tomorrow or very very very very very very very late tonight… more than likely tomorrow though cos I gotta get up very very very very very early tomorrow. ;)


	16. This Wasn’t In The Flight Plan pt 2

So much for trying to post this earlier. Life gets in the way. Anyway, one more part after this one, then story three in about a week, week and a half, I need a break a bit. LOL! So do you guys. ;)

J.

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler, moonlight, southernqt, LiseGirardi, Jade, Smithknkand anyone else I missed for the Feedback

Part 16 – This Wasn't In The Flight Plan pt 2

1640 Zulu  
JAG Headquarters  
Falls Church, Virginia

"Sir?" Bud said, walking into Creswell's office with a deep frown. "I can not find Levine anywhere." For the past half hour, ever since Levine had run out in a rush, he and Sturgis had scoured the whole building. The man was no where to be found.

Creswell didn't like this one bit, the man was too crafty for his own good. "I ordered Coates to lock down the building, there is no where he could get out."

"He didn't have to." Through the office doors walked in Sturgis followed by two Marines who were holding Levine as a prisoner. "He was hiding in the service elevator."

FBI Director Thomas Rivers stared at the man with confusion. "What is going on here, gentlemen?"

Levine grinned up at Creswell, "Absolutely nothing, right General?"

"Why were we called here Sheffield? You said it was a matter of national security, but for the past half hours we've had to sit here, dealing with this buffoon." He said in anger, pointing at Levine who couldn't keep the grin off of his face. "What the hell is going on?"

"Mr. Rivers, it's simple . . In about five minutes, Commander Rabb will be landing the Aurora at the Groom Lake installation. . ."

Enterprise stood up. "But I thought he was wanted for treason?"

"No, Mr. Enterprise, that is what Raymond here wanted you to think." Sheffield said and began handing out copies of the papers that Bud had dug up. "There's proof in these documents and I am sure we'll find many more at CIA headquarters of just how dirty Mr. Levine is."

But, Levine didn't falter, he just stood by with a sick expression. "Mr. Secretary, I've done nothing wrong. True, I did order for Rabb to pilot the Aurora as he and Watson had flown it superbly in the past, but how was I to know that he'd fly them to Newfoundland?"

"Newfoundland?" Sturgis said, realizing that Levine had suddenly given a way too much. "Funny, non of the reports mentioned the location of the aircrafts."

"Well, it's obvious he'd fly them there." Levine tried to cover but it didn't work, by then, everyone in the room was realizing how much of a liar the man was.

DHS Director Zachary Brown moved forward, standing just a few feet away from Levine. "Ray, tell me you didn't have anything to do with this." Out of all of the 'higher-ups', Brown had been the only one to really approve of Levine as head of the CIA. They'd been friends at one point. "Tell me Ray." The man grabbed a hold of Levine's sports jacket and shook him. "Damnit!"

"I can tell you exactly what he did." A female voice called, as a woman entered the office and glanced at the 'boys club.' "General, here are all the files you need to clear Commander Rabb of any wrong doing." Porter Webb presented the files to Creswell then turned to the other men. "It seems Raymond was dealing with a man on our most wanted lists, Temir Ayaz Muhammad Savrai."

"You have no proof of that you old bag!" Levine spat and attempted to head into Mrs. Webb, but was restrained by the two Marines. "This bitch doesn't know a damned thing."

Porter Webb just grinned at the younger man. "Raymond, before you try to screw with one of the head families of a government agency, make sure you take out their network of associates."

The shrill of the phone from the outer office could barely be heard over the bickering between several of the people assembled in Creswell's office. But, Bud, who was the closest to the door did hear it, immediately he ran out. "JAG Headquarters, Lt. Commander Bud Rob. . .WHAT?" His yelp caught the attention of everyone in the office. "No! That needs to be called off!"

"Mr. Roberts? What is it?" Creswell said, coming out to stand next to the Lt. Commander.

Bud held the phone in his hand, glancing at the it as if he'd never used a phone before in his life. "That was my contact inside the CIA. . .She says that two F/A-22 Raptors are flying over the Nellis Bombing range and Groom Lake in Nevada. . .Sir, they are going to shoot Commander Rabb down."

1640 Zulu  
Somewhere Over The United States

"Groom Lake, this is Fox riding in Ghost One, permission to land?" Harm asked over the radio.

("We have you on radar, keep coming." The voice said over the line)

"Roger that." The descent wasn't as bad as Harm thought it would be when the radar had picked up the weather that was looming over the mountains. It had passed quickly and from high up he could see the familiar mountain shapes that led towards the base. "Alright, Mac. . .We should see Groom Lake coming up soon. . .it's a helluva sight."

"Can I get some sort of t-shirt or something?" She said with a teasing tone, already relaxing at the idea that they were just about to land. Turning around she looked out to see the 'wingman' still behind them flying at the proper angles as Harm corrected the angle of their own plane.

Harm chuckled. "I don't think the government would approve of you having an 'I've been to Area 51' t-shirt. . . Nor one saying 'I've flown in the Aurora.'"

"Yea, well, you're no fun." Her voice strained as she turned forward and then back again when she saw a fast moving object out of the corner of her eye. "I think our escorts are here."

Turning to the side, Harm saw one airplane flank his right and immediately another flanking his left. He let out a whistle and grinned. "Raptors, wonder what it would take to get me up on one of those." He waved out to one of the pilots but got no salutation in return. "Mac, wave out at them." Mac did so, and immediately both planes dropped downward and out of her line of sight. Harm noticed this as well. "Uh, Mac? Did you give them the finger or something?" He tried to joke, but, nothing about the situation was funny.

"They weren't supposed to do that, were they?" Mac couldn't help but conjure up images of the Russian planes that had shot her and Harm down.

Harm stared at her for a moment and shook his head. "No, Mac. . .Keep an eye on Ghost 2, would ya?" Changing his frequency, he tried to radio the pilots. "Raptor One and Raptor Two, this is Commander Harmon Rabb, US Navy and Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie US Marine Corps, we have permission to land at Groom Lake, repeat, we have permission to land at Groom Lake." He said the last sentence slowly, enunciating each word to make sure there was no confusion. But he got no answer. "Raptor one and Raptor two, we are friendlies. . . repeat, we. . .are . . friendlies." Again, nothing. Quickly he changed frequencies in an attempt to contact the tower. "Groom Lake, this is Fox in Ghost one, we have to F/A-22's getting into attack position, call them off." Again, there wasn't any type of conversation, only silence. "Damnit, will someone answer me! Call them off!"

Mac had remained silent as he tried to contact the planes and the tower. She was chewing on her inner cheek, noting Harm's frantic tone as he tried to contact the pilots and the tower. It wasn't good and she wasn't stupid. "Harm? They're going to shoot us down aren't they." It wasn't a question and she knew the answer. Then again, why would anything pertaining to this mission be easy?

"Not if I can help it." Harm continued their descent and soon saw the computers light up like a Christmas tree, they had a lock on Ghost two. "Hold on." This wasn't a Tomcat and though the Aurora could make some nifty maneuvers, he hadn't flown the zillions of hours and known a million ways to make the plane respond. Besides, at the high altitude the plane would cruise it was impossible to have a dogfight. Other aircraft just did not have the capability to fly that high. So, Harm used speed to be one of the resources to save his and Mac's lives. He powered the vehicle, making sure that the computers for Ghost 2 were responding in kind. "This is going to make landing a bitch."

Her whole body began vibrating as the plane pitched slightly, when it hit an air pocket. It took a few seconds for Harm to control the planes, but already Mac was feeling her stomach start to do cartwheels. "We're losing them." She had turned around, glancing out the rear noticing the planes were moving farther away.

"Well, thank God we're over desert else the sonic boom would be pissing people off. A lot of people whom I prefer not to piss off." Taking a deep breath he knew that his evasive maneuver was just for stalling. Down below he saw the familiar lake bed with the surreal, long runway, they were approaching Groom Lake. He started slowing the planes down knowing that, with each mile they slowed the Raptors would catch up. He thought about sacrificing Ghost 2, slowing that plane down even more and letting the Raptors attack it, but then, he didn't know what sick scenario the government would come up with. For all Harm knew, he might get blamed for that as well. No, he had to stick it out.

Mac was trying not to get sick again, but her stomach was giving her different ideas. She turned around, in order to get her mind on other things. At a glance she saw the two black fighters heading closer to them. "Harm!"

Again the lights on the Aurora's panels lit up. "Damnit! . . Raptor one and Raptor 2 we are friendlies. . .we are friendlies!" He yelled over the radio, but the planes still kept coming closer as he was forced to decrease their descent rate.

"Why aren't they responding?" Mac asked frantically over the headsets. This couldn't be happening, they couldn't have survived the worst time of her life and then get shot down over Nevada for their efforts. "They can't shoot us down, we're bringing them their goddamned planes back!"

"Hang on." Harm banked the plane to the right, causing Ghost 2 to mimic that same movement. The panel stopped buzzing, obviously the quick movement had thrown off the Raptor's. Just as quickly he corrected, bringing them back into position for landing and again the alarms of the instrument panels went off. "Damnit. . .Let me try that again." This time he swept the plane left and again Ghost 2 mimicked the same movement. He stayed flying at an irregular angle, the force of it causing a strain as he fought with the stick. "Please. . .God, Please!" He straightened the plane off, noting that the Raptors, instead of staying in an attack position, had flown off ahead of them.

Harm deployed the chutes as the plane came in for a touch down, the speed was still a bit excessive as they rocketed down the long runway in and insane speed. He fought the controls, trying to make sure the planes didn't skid off of the designated landing area. The runway was surreally long and done so to enable them to land the Aurora. But still, his main concern, at the moment, was what the excess speed would do to the landing gear. If they didn't slow down enough, their wild ride would end with a bang as they splattered against the mountain rock. The paved area ran out and soon the planes began to slow down as they made it over the dry lake bed. The Raptor's flew overhead, one banking off to a different side before they swept around reading themselves for a landing. And then, it all ended, all movement had stopped.

Her eyes well closed and it almost seemed unreal that everything was suddenly still. Cracking one eye open, Mac looked around to find them surrounded by sand that had started to settle after their landing. "Harm, are we still alive?"

"Yea." He said gently, his hand was unwilling to open and let go of the stick. He'd been in a few dog fights, the worst being over Russia with Mac as his backseater, but, for some reason, this had taken everything out of him.

"Why didn't they shoot us down?" It was odd considering the tension from a few minutes prior or the fact that the air tower would not contact them. "What happened?"

Harm opened the canopy and removed his helmet. "I don't know, Mac. ..But here comes the Calvary." In the distance he could see several vehicles heading their way. If they were friendlies or not, he didn't know, but at least he had the consolation that they weren't blasted right out of the skies.

1720 Zulu  
JAG Headquarters  
Falls Church, Virginia

Raymond Levine sat on one of the posh leather chairs with a corporal on each side preventing him from escape. It was over, all of it was. Porter Webb had managed to find some people who'd been associates of the Webb family, people who, just like herself, wanted nothing more than to rid the CIA of the Levine's. So, these people dug for information and eventually found it. There were pictures, files, letters, e-mails and other evidence that Levine thought he'd rid himself of. All of it pointed to his involvement with Temir.

There were the several attempts to kill Rabb as well as Major Steele's training of Temir's troops in early January, way before his time at JAG. Perhaps the biggest mistake Levine made was his indecision over what to do with Harm. At first, Harm was to be brainwashed, made to believe that his country had given up on him, therefore, he could find a family amongst Temir and his men. When he realized that the good Commander would not turn, he opted for another approach: murder. It would be easier to do away with the man, but Temir did not thing so, there was much valuable information from a man that worked in the military and formerly worked in the CIA. That information would be valuable for a terrorist.

Harm's escape had been much of a problem. The easiest way to deal with it, Levine thought, was to have the man captured and killed. But, that proved to be a problem when non of Temir's men knew how to fly the Aurora and the pilots that did were shot because of their greed. So, then he needed another out and capturing Harm seemed to be the best deal. Only, he wasn't captured and instead, he turned the tables on them, heading some private mission with Mac into Canada. And apparently, for all of his attempts to stop them, they'd won.

Game Over.

The General had been on the phone the minute Bud had informed him about the possible strike against Harm and Mac. Everyone sat by with baited breath as information was relayed back and forth. It was a game of time, trying to contact the proper authorities before Harm and Mac were shot out of the skies. "That was the base commander at Groom Lake, Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie are all in one piece. . .The pilots refused to shoot them down. . . They will be held for interrogation and the CIA will debrief them." The office erupted in cheers that were shared by all except for Raymond Levine. "Marines, take FORMER CIA Deputy Director Levine into custody and make sure nothing happens to him, I am sure a lot of people are going to want to have a little discussion with you, Ray."

The Marine's stood him up, but Raymond stood by defiantly, he had things to say. "Don't look at me that way. All of you fools have thought the same way I did. . .If you can just control some piece of it all you can right the problems."

"How can you right problems when you sacrifice the people you are sworn to protect?" Bud asked.

Levine stared at him. "To make an omelet you need to break some eggs, Lieutenant. . .Temir was a means to protect our very survival. . .To make us not forget how vulnerable we are."

Sturgis shook his head. "No, sir. . .He was a means to an end. . . You were giving him government secrets, who's not to say that he wouldn't have turned his back on you and done as he pleased. . ."

"That's a risk I was willing to take. . . And I am sure I am not the first, nor would I be the last to take that risk." He was sure about that. See, the biggest problem with Raymond Levine was in his sick, twisted mind he believed he was doing the right thing.

Creswell couldn't stand the man from the first time he laid eyes on him. Levine had the air of a confidence man, the type that would swindle you in with some awe-inspiring story and then, just as quickly, leave you flat broke. "Get him out of my sight."

2230 Zulu  
Groom Lake Air Force Base  
Nevada

Harm sat in a pretty comfortable room, one that appeared to be an officer's mess with nice leather chairs, big wooden tables and pictures of military planes on the walls. "So, tell us again, from the top, you left Andrews in an F-18 Hornet?" One of the men asked as he slid a microphone closer to him. There were seven men seated with him, three with suits that screamed CIA, two had on unmarked digital BDUs, and the other three, including the base commander were dressed in Air Force uniforms.

They'd been at it for hours, asking the same questions, wearing him down as if he were some sort of criminal. He knew the reasons, information needed to be consistent to make sure he was telling the truth. And, just for kicks, they had him take a lie detector test, which he passed. So, for the millionth time since they landed at Groom Lake, he started his account of what had happened. Harm began with his original flight plan out of Andrew's. He was scheduled to do a cross country, spend a day or two with his family and then head back home. But, somewhere in the middle of it all, well, more like, in midair, his flight plan was changed and he was ordered to land at Groom Lake.

From there, he spent some time with Andy Watson, Jack Hayes and Robert Gimmel. He and Andy would be training and in the process try out new advances for the plane. But, they never got to finish, as only a short time into the flight, both he and Andy were incapacitated and taken hostage. He recounted his days at Temir's mercy with vivid details, gruesomely describing some of the terrorist's torture techniques. He followed on to his escape, the return home, his recovery from opiates, the fake mission with Webb and finally, this mission with Mac.

Though part of him was longing for her to be with him during the debrief, another part was happy that she didn't have to hear it all again. He'd remembered the look in her eyes the first time he recounted his months with Temir. There was a pain in her eyes, a fear and anger that he'd never seen before. At least she would be spared this moment.

Almost as soon as they military vehicles arrived to the Aurora's, he and Mac were separated. They were treated like enemies of the state, until, about thirty minutes later, their CO had managed to contact the base commander and relay whatever information they had about Raymond Levine and his involvement. Since then the debrief began, which was Harm's suggestion to just get it over with, when the base commander had offered him some time to recuperate.

In a separate room, one much smaller than Harm's, Mac sat with two agents. She kept it all simple, and provided the information necessary, leaving out all of the unnecessary details of their trip, like the nights she spent in his arms. She told them about Chris and how he'd tried to rape her even before this whole thing had started. She told them about the mountainfolk and how she'd nearly died as a result, but her partner had saved her. The agents were being quite easy on her, they didn't even bother trying to trick her up. This was for good reason, the real axe to grind was Harm, not Mac. "Alright, Colonel. . .I think we're done."

Mac nodded and sipped on her third cup of coffee which made Tiner's, high octane java seem watered down. But, it kept her awake and sharp. "Where is Commander Rabb?" She didn't want to seem too anxious to see him, but it had been hours and she was worried.

One of the agents smiled at her. "He's probably wrapping up as well." The man remained seated. "I'll be honest, Colonel, I don't know when you two will be getting out of here. . .There's a lot of information we need to go through, paper work to start on. And we need to make sure that yours nor the Commander's lives are in danger." Standing, he walked around and helped Mac out of her chair. "In the meantime, the doctor wants to see you at the ward again and make sure nothing else is bruised."

Mac was escorted down to the hospital room through a series of underground corridors. There she saw him with his knee propped up in a pillow, wearing hospital type scrubs. "Harm." She walked over to him and, though he was tired, a beautiful smile graced his lips.

He'd only been in the ward for a few minutes. Enough time for him to shower and have the doctor check on him again. He was assured that his knee was not severely damaged and with some light therapy it should heal within a short amount of time. "Mac." He sat upright and moved to the edge of the bed, drawing her close to him.

She took a deep breath when his arms wrapped around her. Sure, they weren't exactly 'home' yet and there was probably a zillion things to sort out, but there was one good thing, "It's over. . .It's over." Mac repeated as they held onto each other. Now, all they needed was to get back home to family and friends.

... TBC

NK – Call signs were stole, from one of my own stories where Harm is teaching at TopGun. 'Matcbox' was because he reminded me of a friend of mine who has a tattoo of the Matchbox logo (you know? The lil cars?). 'Burn', no clue what crack my mind was on that day. The other names, I have nooooooo idea they just pop up. Cept for Temir and Khadija, I didn' want the usual, run of the mill, terrorist names. ;)

LtJgMEg – Palmer's death hasn't been written yet so anything gis a possibility. ;) I've killed him once before methinks.. maybe twice?

Harmfan – yae, but I guess they figured he couldn't get into trouble at JAG. So much for that! The guy is smart slime. LOL! Stomach is given a break:slides over the tums:

Xblue – Chains and ducttape? Damn, I hope you didn't put ductabe on your hair or arms, that is quiet painful when you try to take it off. ;) Well, the last chapter of this one will be nice for you guys, I figured I owe you that much! Yea little faith! Huh! Calix – Good job as always!

Froggy – Nice line huh? I deleted it three times and then finally I was like "Well, a little bit of sappyness goes a long way" LOL! IT was sweet though. 

Brittany – Ah the world of exams, I might be rejoining that world in August. Thanks for reading the story and reviewing! Good luck with papers and exams. ;)

Jtbwriter – LOL! Well, they figure – Levine's not superman, what can he do at JAG ops? ;) – But, see it ended well!


	17. Return to Arlington

Okie Dokie Smokies, we are at the end. Below, at the bottom are quotes/lines from Story 3. Muahahaaa.. I'll be nice, the first 1-4 chapters are all Harm and Mac, cuteness, hanging out, flying, going to see Harm's folks, etc. Then it will get weird. Hint, think of The Imposter, just different. ;)

Enjoy!

Jackie.

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler, moonlight, southernqt, LiseGirardi, Jade, Smithknkand anyone else I missed for the Feedback

Part 17 – Return to Arlington

August 4, 2005  
1820 Zulu  
Arlington National Cemetery  
Arlington, Virginia

The rows of tombstones lined the well manicured lawn, rolling up and down much like ebb and flow of the seas. There, in the middle of the perfect resting place stood Harmon Rabb, Jr over his own tombstone. It was strange seeing his own name etched into the stone, almost surreal. But, then again, that was exactly the term to use: surreal. The whole year for him had been surreal. "This is. . .weird." He said gently, turning to glance at Mac who stood just a few feet behind him.

"The service was beautiful." She said simply because it had been, though she nearly broke when the F-14s flew overhead in perfect formation until one split high into the air. "Taps" never sounded so sad before in her life. The one thing that unnerved her the most was how gorgeous that day had been, despite the storm going on within her. "I couldn't come back to see your grave, though. . .I refused to really mourn you."

Harm stood and turned to her. "You always believed?"

Did she always believe? No, she didn't, there were times that just looking into his office and not seeing him there threatened to kill her. There was nothing worse than returning each and every day to their place of interaction. So much had gone on between them in the walls of JAG Headquarters and missing such a prominent force in her life had slowly threatened to take her own life. "Yes, part of me always did. . .But, it was difficult, especially when your friends keep telling you to accept what had supposedly happened."

"I still can't get over the look on your face when I appeared at your doorstep." He flashed her a half smile, then turned back to his grave. It was in a very nice place, shaded by a massive tree that seemed to be the most lush one in the whole cemetery.

Mac refused to set her eyes anywhere near the tombstone, it just was something she didn't want to think about, not now. If possible, not ever. "I never expected you to just show up at my place."

Squatting down, Harm traced the outline of his name with his fingers and took a deep breath. This could have been him, it could have really happened and things would've been over. True, his death probably would have protected a lot of people, for sure Mac wouldn't have gone on a near fatal mission with him. "Sometimes I think I am immortal and looking at this, I realize I'm not."

"No, you're not." Though she wish he were every bit the superhero, including that gift of immortality. "So many people just believed you were gone. . .The General ordered me not to look into things. So did Webb. Your mother even told me to move on."

"Mom's had practice at that, I wouldn't be too surprised if she's waiting for something to happen to me." As much as he hated to admit that, he knew that his flying scared the death out of her. "She hates that I fly almost as much as you do." He gave her side long glance and grinned.

Mac shook her head and smiled down at him. "Yea, but you flying is part of what I love about you."

He placed his hand on the top part of the stone and said a slight prayer, a thanks for returning them home safely. "I wish I could just rip this out and smash it to pieces over Levine's head."

Ah, Levine, what happened to him? Well, the government quickly stripped him of his title and just as quickly stuck him in Leavenworth, on death row. It, surprisingly, did not take much more than a few days. Then again, the amount of information Porter Webb's associates had dug up gave no doubts as to what Levine and Temir were up to. The compound in Newfoundland was taken over by the Marine insurgents and there, more information was found about the terrorist activities. Files of the men captured, including Harm and Andy, as well as intricate information on the planes. If Temir had acted sooner, God knows what would have happened.

"Mrs. Webb said he's well taken care of. She's positive he'll get the death penalty, as well as the others that conspired with him." Though that was a comforting thought, that men like Levine would be out of the picture, somehow, she would have felt better ripping him to shreds with her bare hands over what he did to Harm. "If I'd ever get my hands on him. . . God help him."

With a sigh, Harm wiped his hands on his jeans then stood. It was time to leave this behind and start anew. After all, he did get a new lease on life with fringe benefits. He walked away from the grave and reached over to Mac, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Let's go, Mac."

They headed down the pathway of Arlington and down to where her Corvette was parked. Harm's knee was still bothering him, which left Mac chauffeuring him around town. It was nice, and he didn't complain too much about her driving. As they slipped out of Arlington, it occurred to Mac that she had yet to contact Trish and Frank about Harm's resurrection. She didn't think to do it over the phone, for sure they'd want to see him, so that gave her an idea. "You know? We have some downtime, how about we go visit your folks in California?"

Harm grinned at her. "Uh huh, you just want to head to the beach and work on your tan."

"No, I want my boyfriend's parents to know that he is alive and well." She said seriously. That conversation with Trish replayed in her head from before.

"_Harm loved you." Trish stated simply, with conviction because she knew it was the truth. "I don't mean a friendly type of love. . .My son was in love with you, Sarah."_

"He told you that?" Mac's head snapped up, her tears falling freely and she didn't make an effort to wipe them away.

_Trish smiled mischievously. "Yes. . . One night I dragged it out of him." That had to have been the most interesting conversation she'd had with her son. It had happened that year, when he'd called to ask a favor in regards to Mac. He wanted help with finding information on her medical condition and he figured that his mother would know where he could start. Somewhere in the conversation, she asked him what he felt for Mac. Ten minutes later, after a lot of motherly nagging, he said it, loud and clear. 'I'm in love with her.'_

"_I'm in love with him too." Mac said softly._

Harm studied her for a moment, he could tell she had spaced out, no doubt thinking about the past and his 'death.' "I think it's a good idea, Sarah. . .We can book the tickets tonight, head out tomorrow morning." He took her hand that was resting against the gearshift and brought it up to his lips. "Thank you."

"For what?" She said, her eyes locking onto his.

"For believing. . .For saving me." Leaning forward, he brought his lips gently against hers kissing her lovingly.

**Harm and Mac will return in story three: The Thin Line.**

Quotes from The Thin Line:

:  
Trish shook from the happy sobs that escaped her. Her arms tightened around her son, holding him as if her life depended on it, and it did. "But, how? Everyone thought you were dead. . ." She trailed off a moment and glanced at Mac. "Everyone but Mac. . . I'm sorry for not believing you."  
:

:  
"Done this before, sailor?" Mac teased laying on a blanket that they'd brought from the house.

"Yes, but never with such intriguing company." Harm responded, turning to his side so he could look at her**.  
**:

:  
For the first time in a long time, Sarah MacKenzie felt utterly hopeless. "I saw Dr. Chen today at Bethesda."  
:

:  
"Maybe, I want to be put through that. . . I don't care how it happens, Mac. . .Honestly, I don't care _if_ it happens. . .All I care about is being with you."  
:

:  
He straightened himself, tried to remain stoic and more like a CO than a friend. Without preamble the words came out, "Who is Clark Palmer?"  
:

:  
She wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a capable, strong woman, a Marine officer who would not give in, damn the consequences. "Sarah MacKenzie – Lieutenant Colonel, United States Marine Corps – 501-02-7158."


End file.
